


Thorin; Tamer of Dragons

by mcqueens_queen



Series: Hobbit Kink Meme Prompt Fills [1]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-13
Updated: 2014-04-06
Packaged: 2017-12-11 17:25:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/801240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcqueens_queen/pseuds/mcqueens_queen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <b>CHAPTER SEVEN IS FINALLY UP!</b>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Based on the following prompt: <a href="http://hobbit-kink.livejournal.com/4373.html?thread=9628437">Prompt</a></p><p>After Smaug takes over the treasure hall of Erebor, Thorin is forced to make a deal with the beast. In exchange for him guarding the treasure and the dwarves being allowed to return to the halls, Smaug is fed and indulged by the dwarves.</p><p>Like the great cat he is, Smaug soon bonds with only the young prince, heeding only his commands, and soon he decides his master needs a mate.  Always the contrary one, Smaug brings him a terrified little hobbit as a gift.</p><p>Thorin also starts bonding with the dragon, for word quickly spreads of his ability to tame the beast, and Thorin soon begins to appreciate the respect it earns him.</p><p> </p><p>  <i>More tags will be added as chapters progress, and explicit warning is for Bagginshield in later chapters. ^_^</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Smaug Breaches Erebor and a Deal is Made.

**Author's Note:**

> I quite imagine Smaug being a giant cat, and usually cats have one person they would actually heel to and obey, and soon Smaug finds that person in Thorin, and Thorin can’t help but start to grow fond of the beast. Especially since it earns him the fearsome title of dragon tamer, Smaug soon becoming a point of pride for the dwarf :)
> 
> Also, I don't have a beta, so if there are any glaring errors on anyone wants to volunteer I will forever be in your debt!
> 
> Here are some interesting links about Smaug that are helping my inspiration in describing him if anyone is interested:  
> [How big is Jackson's Smaug?](http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/05/11/71530-analysis-just-how-big-is-jacksons-smaug/)  
> [The Art of John Howe: Smaug the Golden](http://www.wetanz.com/smaug-the-golden-faux-bronze/)

 

“Sound the alarm.” The older and grayer dwarf, held tightly to the parapet as the young prince pulled back from the edge.

“What is it?”  The young prince cocked his head as he spoke as it was an obvious joke, a disaster so ludicrous there was actually some humor to it.

“Dragon.  DRAAAGON!”  As if his merely speaking its name summoned it’s awesome and tremendous power, flames erupting across the stone parapet, the young prince barely able to hide his old friend behind the stone, shielding them both from a fiery fate.  Once the flames had passed, Thorin rushed to find his father and rally the guard, knowing exactly what the dragon would head for.

The old wyrm sent fiery tornados sweeping through the town below him, searching for an entrance to where a rumored treasure lay, a treasure beyond reckoning he had heard tale of.  Nothing else could have awoken him from his long slumber, enticed him to journey out after centuries of hibernation.  The large façade of the dwarven kingdom was indeed impressive and immediately caught the dragon’s attention, drawing off his slaughter of the townsfolk for his intended target. The large collection of guard and soldiers convincing him he had found the entrance to the treasure, he was so painfully close, he knew it was just beyond his reach. But nothing was beyond Smaug’s reach, what he wanted he took, and what he wanted was behind this stone gate.

His landing flattened all the guards surrounding the door, the sheer force of the winds knocking them all back, their presence not even recognized by the giant wyrm who began scratching and charging into the door, growing increasingly frustrated as it wouldn’t give. Nothing would stand between him and his treasure, nothing in all of Middle Earth had ever been denied him. Turning his long neck he began to charge the door with his shoulder over and over, every thrust rewarded with the stone groaning and slowly cracking, giving away under his mighty onslaught.

 “GUARD THE DOOR! DO NOT LET HIM THROUGH!” Thorin yelled to his troops, the whole mountain seeming to shake as the gargantuan beast shoved against their stone doors, trying to force its way inside. The entrance to Erebor had been built by the finest engineers, and was designed to be impregnable, but the young prince knew dragons were not involved in the original design, and he knew it was only a matter of time before the beast made its way inside.  But when it did, they would be ready; the beast would not be leaving the mountain alive.

As the final stones gave way the young prince could only stand in shook as the huge beast walked over the troops as if they weren’t even there, seemingly transfixed and searching the great halls for its intended target, the beast completely transfixed on his goal.

Smaug growled as the doors finally gave, his huge claws pushing aside the rubble and debris, forcing his large size through the gaping door, stepping right over the large army of dwarves, completely ignoring their attempts of bringing him down as he searched for the treasure of legends. His whole body shuddered as he was overwhelmed with the scent of gold, silver, gems and every other wonderful thing dug out of the mountains filling the halls.  The scent almost had him salivating, his muzzle jerking towards the smell, following the scent as quickly as he could, pushing and clawing at everything that got in his way. Finally finding the huge treasure hall, the dragon’s pace paused for a moment, the vast scores of wealth far exceeding the rumors he had heard, his expectations overwhelmed as he took in the large trove of wealth.

His delay was short lived, for soon he had dived right in, rolling around in the piles of wealth, the soft gold feeling exquisite on his hot red scales, the metal softening slightly with his contact, the huge wyrm rolling and burying himself under the extensive pile, quite impressed that there was enough for him to completely nest in.  And for the first time in centuries Smaug felt content and at peace, happily nesting in the huge pile of extraordinary wealth, not the least bit concerned with the entire population of Erebor outside, they were of no consequence to him and posed no real threat.

Thorin stood dumbfounded as the dragon passed right over them, completely ignoring their army.  How could he possibly fight such a foe?  A foe that could crush them at a whim?  Pain clutched at his heart, the sudden pain of knowing there was only one option.  Thorin’s duty as future King Under the Mountain encompassed one important goal; to keep the people of Erebor safe and prosperous.  And sacrificing his entire army did not accomplish that goal.  “PULL BACK! EVACUATE THE HALLS” 

Although dwarves were some of the fiercest and bravest of all warriors, the site of the dragon was enough to convince them to heed their King’s order and flee the halls.   Thorin spied Dwalin, his face unreadable; Thorin could not tell if it was cold because of his decision or because of the inevitability of their fate.  But the faithful warrior did not hesitate to follow his future king as they made their way towards where the dragon lay to make sure all had heard the order.  It was there that Thorin spied his grandfather, clutching the Arkenstone to his chest, and heading directly to the treasure room.  If Thorin had not been convinced of his grandfather’s sickness, this would have surely convinced him.  Being the swiftest of the line of Durin, Thorin managed to catch up to his Grandfather just as he entered the treasure hall, stopping him in his tracks as he spied the huge beast reveling in HIS treasure and in his shock dropping the Arkenstone.  And he would have gone after it if his grandson had not pulled him back, pushing him into Dwalin’s strong grip.  “Get him out of here!” The huge dwarf nodding curtly as he pulled the struggling King away from his stolen treasure.

Thorin stood at the threshold of the treasure room, noticing how quiet the halls quickly got as the dragon finally stopped moving, and the only sound being the beast’s heavy breathing.  Taking a large breath Thorin gripped his sword tightly slowly stepping into the treasure hall, once again taking in just how large this behemoth was, and the impossible task that lay ahead of him.

Smaug closed his eyes as he settled in his nest of gold, almost completely obstructed from view as he began to softly purr, the gold softening just enough to almost encase him in a cocoon, content to sleep for many more centuries undisturbed in his nest.  But as soon as he was beginning to settle in his nose twitched, the scent of an intruder catching his attention.  He wanted to crush whoever decided to disturb him, more annoyed than anything else, not even considering the idea that he should be concerned. But his vendetta was halted when he realized the smell was not just any dwarf, but one of the line of Durin themselves.

He slowly lifted his head out of the gold, emerging like a giant cobra, as he turned to face the son of the line of Durin, smoke wafting from his nostrils as he eyed the dwarf, figuring he must be the young prince, laughing loud and low in his throat. “You must be the young prince under the mountain. Or should I say…MY mountain.”  He smirked, enjoying toying with his next meal. “You must think very highly of yourself or very lowly of me to come all by yourself young prince. For your sake I certainly hope it’s the former, for surely they teach young princes not to insult on diplomatic relations.”  The huge dragon smirking and chuckling to himself, his hot breath wafting over the dwarf making him extremely uncomfortable in his thick armor, used to the coolness of an underground kingdom. 

Thorin actually took a step back, never before had he known dragons to speak, or have a sense of humor, even if it was a strange dry sense of one. Taking a deep breath, Thorin looked up at the huge dragon, not sure where exactly to look when addressing it.  “You think very highly of yourself dragon.  I don’t suppose it would do much good to threaten you with the fact that we will never stop trying to reclaim OUR kingdom.”

At that Smaug actually chuckled, lifting his body out of the gold so he could move closer to the brave little dwarf, lowering his head, close enough to the dwarf that he almost couldn’t see him in front of his nose, the dragon having a small blind spot where neither eye could see that close to his muzzle.  He liked how the dwarf braced his booted feet, Smaug would almost be impressed if he really cared.  But if there was one weakness the dragon had, it was flattery and indulging his swollen and rightfully earned pride.  “You can threaten all you like, but it will do you no good, it will only bring my food within easy reach.  Though I will admit dwarves are my least favorite meal, too much armor…and hair.”  He snorted, the gust pushing all of Thorin’s hair back to emphasize his point, the indignant prince only closing his eyes at the gust before opening them with a scowl. 

He glared up at the dragon, trying to buy some time to figure out what to do.  He knew that the dragon was right, all the armies in Middle Earth couldn’t take back their kingdom from the dragon by force.  Thorin desperately tried to recall what he had read about dragons as a young curious dwarf.  Most had been a splattering of myth, legend and straight up conjecture but he had remembered a recurring theme of dragons being extremely vain, and like cats, loved to be indulged and spoiled, they loved getting their way and doing the least amount of work to do so.  Thorin groaned internally as he took another breath before responding to the huge beast.  Staring directly between its huge eyes, a fiery mixture of reds and yellows, the dragon almost cross eyed he was so close.

“Then how about we make a deal dragon? One that will be beneficial to both of us?” The dwarf prince almost smirked at how the dragon cocked its head, actually looking surprised at his question as he continued. “The dwarves of Erebor want their home back and you want our treasure. What if you were willing to guard our treasure? We would still need access to some of it, but I guarantee that if the dwarves are allowed to return to the mountain the treasure would only continue to swell.  And in return you would be feed whatever you wanted us to cultivate and would never harm another dwarf.  What say you to that?” 

The huge dragon pulled his head back, the gesture making him look like a giant snake about to strike, his head still tilted as he thought it over.  At first he thought he should just incinerate the dwarf for his insult.  Smaug was no guard dog!  But at the same time, the offer was tempting, being feed whatever he wanted meant he wouldn’t have to hunt again, a luxury he would quite enjoy. He also couldn’t resist the temptation of the dwarves bringing him even more treasure. He laughed loud and low in his throat, lowering his head down to Thorin’s level once again.  Knowing that if the dwarves ever tried to betray him, it wouldn’t take much effort to go right back to the status quo.

“Mmmm you have yourself a deal little prince.”  The dwarf glared at the dragon before relaxing his brow, not exactly sure how to seal a deal with such a beast.

“Thorin.”

The big dragon smirked. “I am Smaug”

Thorin turned on his heels, quickly rushing back to the main gate, having absolutely no idea what to tell his farther and his troops.  How could he tell them he had made a deal with what was quite literally the spawn of hell?


	2. Feeding the Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After revealing the deal he made with Smaug to the dwarven court, Thorin realizes the implications of what he has done and how any ramifications are on his head. So in order to keep the situation under control Thorin decides to figure out how to feed his unwelcome guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smaug continues to be his lazy cat like self. Oh, and if anyone has any really awesome reference sheets (fan art or otherwise) for Smaug that would help tremendously. Since Peter Jackson was a massive cock tease and wouldn't let us see him!
> 
> And Kili and Fili will be making their debut in the next chapter don't worry!

“You did WHAT?!” Thrain throwing his gloved hands high over his head as he looked around the rest of the court, trying to garner sympathy for his reaction to this absolutely ludicrous news. “I…I can’t even…fathom…what…” Thrain began babbling, looking to his father for some support before turning back towards his son.

Despite his unkingly babbling none of the court had anything to say in his defense, or anything better to say in fact.  The situation so absolutely ridiculous that most had trouble even believing it much less thinking of a good response to it.  Balin just pursing his lips and shaking his head, Dwalin using his usual silence as a buffer against having to say anything to this strange scenario.

“It was the best course of action.” Thorin spoke slowly and calmly, feet planted firmly as he defended his actions, even if he wasn’t completely sure of them either.

“Best course of…oooooh.” Thrain grumbled as he continued to pace wildly among the small crowd of dwarves.  “You made a deal with a dragon. A DRAGON Thorin. What could you possibly be thinking? You want us to slave away for a hell beast? What What WHAT?!”  Thorin stared at his father sternly, walking a fine line between standing up for himself and yielding to his father’s seniority.

“The only task we owe the dragon is feeding it.  In exchange he will not harm us and will simply guard the treasure.”

“FEED! GUARD! Have you lost your mind? How are we supposed to feed it? No no no…more importantly, how are we supposed to trust it? Son…”  Thrain stood impossibly close to his son, staring straight at him. “How are we supposed to live with this beast in our treasure room?”  Thorin took a long breath in before responding.

“With the dragon here and satiated, we will not be homeless or decimated by its wrath. It was the best course of action given the circumstances.” Thrain threw his hands up in the air again as he walked away from his son.

“If this crazy scenario you’ve weaved turns out to be the death of our line…of our PEOPLE, it will be on YOUR HEAD!” He stormed off with Thorin’s grandfather, swearing and cursing loudly in khuzdul. Thorin standing unmoving as the rest of the court abandoned Thorin at his spot, only Balin and Dwalin remaining, and even that was short lived as Balin placed a reassuring hand on Thorin’s shoulder before walking away as well, only Dwalin remaining, looking as stoic as ever.

Breaking his statuestic composure, Thorin looked up at his most trusted warrior, the only one he ever truly confided in. “What would you have me do? You think I am mad as well?”

Dwalin looked down at his huge hands perched on top of his large axe propped up for him to lean against. “Nah laddie, ye know aye always have yer back. Nah matter what.” He smiled with his lopsided grin, clapping Thorin on the shoulder as Thorin returned the gesture, his little smile barely showing through despite the gravity of the situation at hand.  He was almost literally holding the fate of Erebor in his strong hands. “So what’s the plan laddie? We gonna kill the beast in its sleep?”

Thorin smirked, his warrior always having a one track mind when it came to strategy and planning, which is exactly why he wasn’t in charge of diplomatic relations. “No Dwalin. We’re going to try reasoning with the beast.  If this works out, life should go back to normal.”

“Yah think that’s really gunna happen?” Thorin just breathed heavily, not even responding as he walked, not even sure where he was heading, his feet just leading him somewhere, Dwalin hanging behind, keeping his King within in his line of sight, but letting him have his space to think as he often did.

Thorin couldn’t help but scoff at the irony, his wandering feet leading him directly back to the treasure hall where his presumed downfall lay. He wanted to turn and walk away.  Thorin never walked away from any problem or challenge, which had given him a formidable reputation and respect. But nothing he had ever had to deal with as the young prince of Erebor could possibly even come close to comparing to this devil’s deal he had made with this beast.

Figuring it must be fate Thorin let his feet lead him into the grand treasure hall and down the steps, spotting the unnaturally large pile in the middle of the room that he figured to be the dragon. For although Thorin could tell where the beast’s body was, where his huge head was, was anyone’s guess.  Thorin stood halfway down the large staircase, so he could still see the entire room, but it did not appear that he was hiding at the small entrance to the room.

As soon as the dragon spoke, his words seemed to fill the great hall, Thorin standing his ground as he looked for the source. “Mmm so how’d it go? I take the rest of your kind don’t think you’re as wise as you do.” He chuckled in the loud rumbling way he did as his head slowly lifted out of the gold in his very snake like manner, a smirk across his muzzle as he lowered his head back down to Thorin’s level, hot breath wafting over the young prince.

“And what would you have done, our places reversed?” Thorin had no idea how to converse with the dragon, simply trying to continue appearing calm and collected, as if the dragon’s presence had no real baring on his life.

“Mmmm…how can such an awesome creature as I possibly emphasize with such a lowly creature as yourself?” Thorin bristled at the insult, glaring up at the dragon as he stood there, unable to do anything to such an insult. Smaug just chuckled, breathing heavily on the young dwarf, loving how it irritated him. “You’re not frightened by me are you? I could eat you at any moment you know.”

Thorin looked up at the dragon, staring directly into his fiery eyes, glaring at him. “No. I’m not afraid of you. Though do not mistake my lack of terror for a lack of respect for the quite literal force of nature you are.” Thorin tried appealing to the dragon’s extremely high sense of himself, hoping it would appeal to his ego and maybe whatever strange streak that had inclined the dragon to agree to this unorthodox arrangement.

Thorin was worried for a moment as he watched the huge beast’s spine spikes bristle as an upset animal’s would, but the dragon continued to smile as he rested his huge head on the stairs below Thorin’s feet.  And it seemed that the reaction was due to surprise rather than insult. “Mmm you’re not the fool I took you for.  You’re quite the formidable one.” Smaug voice a low purr as he looked over the strong little dwarf.

Thorin held his breath for a moment, working terribly hard to keep in the huge breath he wanted to rapidly exhale in relief. But he knew it would give away his feelings, and that was the last thing he wanted. He wanted the dragon to have nothing more over him then he already had. 

Thorin suddenly became very aware that the dragon was just staring at him, just content to look him over. Thorin couldn’t tell if it was simply the look of a curious cat, or a predatory feline sizing up its prey. Thorin hoped for the former.

Smaug purred as he just watched the young prince, loving how he clearly tried to hide his discomfort at being watched by such a beast as he. Smaug had never been able to watch someone’s reaction to him from so close, most interactions involved people fleeing for their lives below him as he claimed whatever he was after.  The huge dragon was surprised that the young prince suddenly sat down right in front of where his huge muzzle was resting on the large steps. Smaug was happy in his choice to let this royal dwarf live, he would prove to be extremely interesting.

Thorin rolled his eyes and sat down in front of the huge beast, he was tired of his games, tired of Smaug having perfect control of their interactions.  He figured the more in control of the situation could be, the more leverage he could have. “May I ask you question dragon. Smaug.” He cleared his throat as he corrected himself, trying to make it appear as a mistake and not an insult.  The dragon’s smile inclining him to think it was the former.

His low rumble made the ground below Thorin shiver, knowing he would need to get used to the impact the dragon had on his environment.  That permanent smile across his muzzle as he spoke. “Mmm of course little one. Thorin.” The low laugh echoed through the halls as he looked intently at the young prince, once again almost cross eyed Thorin was so close.

“What exactly do dragons like to eat? Besides helpless townsfolk?” Thorin tried his best to add a little humor to his question, knowing how much the dragon seemed to enjoy sarcasm and dry wit.  He was rewarded again with another low chuckle that vibrated the grand staircase.

“Mmmm as tasty as they are, they are not my favorite.” His head tilted slightly as he continued to speak. “My favorite are cows. Juicy tasty cows.” The ripple down his spine that Thorin had observed before coursed down the length of his spikes once against at what Thorin assumed was him thinking about them. Thorin watched as the large beast’s eyes closed for a moment before opening to stare at the young dwarf wondering where this line of conversation was going.

“And how many would you say would satisfy you at any one time.” Thorin was rewarded with another headtilt, Smaug could honestly say he was surprised by the little dwarf, the smile leaving his lips for a moment as he had to pause to think about his response. It had been many centuries since Smaug had last eaten.

“Mmmm three I’d say.” He smiled with his wicked grin, lips pulled back to reveal his humongous and viciously sharp teeth.  Teeth that shone like the finest of polished silver. Thorin couldn’t help but admire the fierce beauty in the dragon, his teeth impossibly flawless, like giant opal spikes. And his scales like the finest scaled armor, each scale shining a reflecting light as if they had been hand polished and placed with care. He wondered how something as old as Smaug managed to look so freshly forged.

Thorin then pushed himself up to stand, Smaug looking mildly interested in the dwarf’s movement. “Then I shall bring you three.” Thorin gave the dragon a curt nod, still not sure exactly how one greeted and excused themselves from a dragon. Figuring that if he was incinerated for a mistake, it wouldn’t really matter at that point.

Smaug smirked again as he lifted his head up off the grand staircase, his low purr vibrating the halls again as he snaked back down into the gold without a word, burying himself once again.  Smaug was honestly surprised at the dwarf’s blunt honesty and fearlessness, and most importantly his desire to feed him. Settling back under his blanket of treasure Smaug closed his eyes, wondering how long it would take his meal to arrive.  After fasting for centuries, the sudden temptation of cow flesh had the dragon on edge, and extremely impatient.

Thorin quickly ascended the stairs, not surprised to find Dwalin just on the outside of the small entrance, for once a look of surprise across his usually stoic face.  If he didn’t deeply respect his future king with every fiber of his massive statue, he did now. The young prince didn’t even seem to be phased by the collosal beast.

“Dwalin. Collect three cattle for slaughter and have them brought here immediately.” Thorin looked around as if he were lost in his own halls. “Where is my father?” Dwalin looked down as if he were disappointed in what he had to say.

“He has ordered awn evacuation of the halls. Everyone is being moved to the town at the foot of the mountain, he will not let anyone in the mountain while the beast remains here.” Thorin grumbled but knew that his father was being sensible. He had no real evidence that the dragon would not suddenly change its mind.  No proof other than a strange feeling that it wouldn’t, a strange feeling Thorin couldn’t describe and would never reveal.

He nodded curtly. “That is sensible. Fetch the cattle.” Dwalin nodded before going to find a few remaining gaurds to help him find three cattle for slaughter, knowing it would take some time to get all the way down the mountain to the fields, assuming they hadn’t fled when the dragon attacked. And Dwalin knew fetching meat from the stores was not what his prince had ordered, he had order freshly slaughtered cows, intent on completely that goal as quickly as possible.  For although Thorin hadn’t said it  explicitly, Dwalin knew they were for the dragon, and he did not want to find out exactly how long a dragon’s patience could last.

Thorin headed out to the entrance of Erebor to get his first glimpse of the damage caused by the behemonth.  For a few minutes having forgotten exactly how much damage this beast had caused.  The front gate completely shattered and smoke rising up from the town below.  And for a moment he felt guilty sending Dwalin on a quest for cattle when there were injured and dying to take care of. But Thorin steeled himself, remembering that keeping the dragon placent and in a good mood was key to the future safety of Erebor.

The young prince was surprised at how quickly Dwalin was able to return, for a moment thinking he had failed, when six dwarves came up behind him, following as quickly as they could, carrying three freshly slaughtered cows. Thorin escorted them to the treasure hall entrance, almost startled by the loud clatter as the rack of cows was dropped behind him, the six butchers scurrying off back towards the entrance. Dwalin shrugged. “Butchers aren’t the bravest lot it seems.”  Thorin just groaned, gesturing to have Dwalin help him drag each cow into the treasure hall, the freshly slaughtered beasts sliding unceremoniously down the stairwell, immediately catching the attention of the dragon, his entire body rising up out of the treasure this time, wasting no time grabbing the first of the cattle in his huge paw, eagerly tearing it apart. Thorin and Dwalin both stood watching in amazement as the huge beast ripped the entire cow apart, seemingly easily choking down one half whole before starting on the other.  While he was distracted with the first, Thorin and Dwalin dragged the remaining two down the stairs, the huge wyrm devouring them just as quickly, tongue lewdly licking the blood off his huge claws before resting one on top of the other as he lowered his head down to speak to Thorin, completely ignoring Dwalin’s presence.

“You kept your promise…Thorin. I’m quite impressed.” He smirked, pulled back to burrowing himself in his treasure, but not before snorting, pushing Thorin’s hair back with a gust and a smirk. The low purr that Thorin had now begun to recognize vibrated the halls as the two made their way back up the stairs and out the demolished front entrance.  Thorin confident he had bought the people of Erebor a little more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Sorry for the delay, it was supposed to go up last night but I passed out and didn't want it going up with out rereading it at least once.
> 
> Please please please let me know what you think! Comments, questions and concerns are always more than welcome. I love knowing if something is going wrong or well!


	3. Trouble Brewing in the Treasure Hall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Smaug is satiated on his large bovine meal, Erebor is given four days to recover. Thrain and the royal court are still less than thrilled about Thorin's decision, doubting his competency and ability as future king under the mountain. The bond between Thorin and Smaug also begins to develop in its own strange way.
> 
> Here is what I'm using as a reference for Frerin: [LINK](http://fistymclovepants.tumblr.com/post/44700299147)

 

Dwalin let out a loud sigh of relief as he and his future king stood in the shattered front entrance, once again surveying the damage. Thrain having diverted all the soldiers and guards to helping repair the damage to the town first.  The front entrance would have to be completely redone from scratch, and that was not a top priority when small fires still raged in the town below.

Thorin looked over at his most fearsome mohawked warrior, just knowing when the usually silent warrior had something on his mind. “Just tell me what you have to say Dwalin. I have heard nothing worse from my father already.  He already blames me for our presumed downfall.” Thorin’s tone was as flat and stern as usual, not wanting another lecture on his presumed poor decision making skills.

Dwalin turned to face his king, his face equally as stern and stoic. Every ounce of his huge frame burned with respect and an unwavering loyalty to his king.  And it honored him greatly that Thorin respected his opinion in such important matters. Though he wished he had something more supportive to say to his prince. Something more substantive than more mindless criticisms. Something other than reiterating the very well-known fact that nothing like this had ever been done before. So taking a deep breath he purged his minds of those thoughts. Useless thoughts that would do more harm than good.  Thorin was already very well aware of the fact that so far everyone thought he was making an absolutely horrendous choice, and Dwalin would not succumb to that distressing line of reasoning.

Instead, he did what he did best, being a loyal and obedient warrior of the future king. “What is next in your plans in dealing with the beast?” Although Thorin didn’t show it, he was surprised at Dwalin’s response, fully expecting another criticism of his decision. Taking a deep breath he looked out over the foothills of the lonely mountain, honestly having no real response to the question.  The question simply being a physical manifestation of his thoughts, having no real idea what to do with this colossal beast.

“He seems to be satiated with the food we brought him, and does not seem too motivated to do much else at the moment.” Dwalin responded with a little snort and curt nod, having watched the great beast curl back into the gold like some huge scaled cat. “We will use this time to rebuild our infrastructure and tend to the wounded. Hopefully the dragon will continue to be satisfied with offerings of more food and treasure added to the halls.” Dwalin nodded again, placing a reassuring gloved hand on his prince’s shoulder, both looking back out over the kingdom.

Thorin always took comfort in his soldier’s embrace. The older dwarf, though his inferior, was more of a combat mentor to him than his own father. Balin was there to help with diplomacy and general mentorship, but Thorin always spent the most time with Dwalin. Training and practicing and learning everything he could about being a future warrior king. Thorin took another slow deep breath as he laced his arm with Dwalin’s, resting his hand on his well armored shoulder. “Where will the royal family be staying Dwalin? In the old palace?” Dwalin curtly nodded again as he spoke.

“Aye, your father made it explicitly clear that none of the royal family, or any dwarf for that matter was allowed to stay while the beast was here, as you know. Well…” Dwalin smirked. “All except one may stay.” Dwalin looked pointedly at his young prince, continuing to smirk as he caught just a little sliver of Thorin’s bristle at his father’s back handed insult. Thorin pulled away from his warrior’s grasp as he started walking wherever his feet would lead him. Hopefully somewhere were he could be productive and not have to think about that infernal dragon.

 

For the next four days life almost went back to normal. The injured were tended to, and with all the extra help of the soldiers and guards the town was quickly rebuilt. Townsfolk eager to return to their daily lives. But there was a strange air floating about the town. No one in town was sure exactly what the situation was, all they had been told was to rebuild the town and go on as things had before.  No one was even sure if Smaug was dead or not. The royal family made no public appearances and all communication, sparse as it was, was delivered by one of the royal court and refused to answer questions.

But word began to trickle through the town as water eventually does through even the thickest of stone. Word that Smaug was not dead. Not only was Smaug not dead but that he was under control of the royal family. Some thought one of the warriors had spared the dragon’s life, other’s thought it was under a spell. But only fanciful rumors and theories were able to spread like wild fire, none of the royal court wanting to admit what was happening.  Not until they at least had some miniscule control over the situation.

For the last four days Thorin had been purposefully avoiding his father and the royal court. Up to this point Thorin had never made a decision he was ashamed of, one he would hide from his own father. Thorin was always proud to show his father that he was fit to rule and make decisions. But Thorin already knew what his father’s opinion on the matter was and to be frank he was tired of hearing it. But the day came quickly enough when he was summoned to his father’s new temporary court, and he could no longer avoid what he knew was another scolding.

Dwalin by his side as he entered the old palace he was surprised to find his siblings seemingly waiting in front of he door to the throne room, Dis being the first to approach him, hugging him tightly to her in her overly motherly way. “Thorin! Where have you been hiding these last few days? If not for Dwalin telling me otherwise I thought you in the belly of that monstrous beast! Well?! Spit it out!”

Thorin tried very hard not to smirk at his overbearing younger sister, holding her shoulders reassuring. “Be content with the knowledge that it was not your wrath I was seeking solace from.” Dis narrowed her eyes, obviously wanting to fume at her brother, but her other older brother held her back, taking his turn to hug their eldest sibling, sparing him from any more of Dis’ overly concerned wrath. Thorin couldn’t help but lose a little of his stoic resolve when he was in the company of both of his siblings. The eldest dwarf tightening his hold around his slimmer and blonder brother, letting out a slow breath as reached out for his sister, all three holding close before Dwalin had to intervene. 

“King’s waiting m’lord.” Thorin took a deep breath, face stern and stoic once again as he pushed open the large doors, bracing as if an army of orcs waited inside. But in the grand scheme of things, dealing with his irate father ranked slightly below his encounters with the dragon so far.

Thrain looked up from his discussion with his grandfather as Thorin entered the room, both patriarchs turning to face the young prince, the rest of the court falling silence as well. The only sounds were Thorin’s and Dwalin’s boots as they stepped up to the throne, both kneeling before the King under the mountain, staying down as it was they who were summoned to the king’s chambers.

It was of course Thrain who spoke first. “So…Thorin. How goes your little…project?” Thorin glared at the floor as his father added a sarcastic twist to the word project, taking a deep breath before responding.

“The beast is satiated on its last meal and has shown no signs of being a current threat.”

“No signs of…”Thrain chuckled loudly, his laugh filling the awkwardly silent halls. “Did you hear that everyone? The threat has been neutralized. We can all sleep soundly in our beds tonight, thanks to Thorin.” He started clapping, laughly loudly again, the rest of the court awkwardly joining in since their king had prompted it. Thorin’s lip curled into a sneer, fists clenching at the humiliation, staring at the floor till he could take it no longer, standing up and addressing his father directly.

“What would you have me do?! If you think the people are not safe than evacuate them! Leave Erebor!” Thrain suddenly stopped clapping, the rest of the court more than happy to stop, the king storming right up into his son’s face, staring him down with an extra inch in height, neither dwarf yielding, their noses almost touching.

“I would, but we have nowhere to evacuate to! And now that you’ve made that deal with the beast, you think he will be pleased if we suddenly leave? You think dragons aren’t petty mindless beasts?!” Thrain once again threw up his arms up in the air as if he were hearing the most ludicrous statement of his life. Thorin standing bravely against his father’s wrath and the disapproval of the court.

Dwalin wanted to intercede on his prince’s behalf, but technically his allegiance was supposed to first fall to the king before the prince, so he was powerless to help, instead shooting a glance at Frerin who looked as distraught as his sister. Frerin took that as all the invitation he needed before storming up behind Thorin in support. “Father! Thorin has made a brave and wise decision. We are alive and not exiled from our home, how can that be bad?” Thorin shot his younger sibling a stern glare, not wanting someone else to fight his battles, noticing that Frerin ignored him as he usually did.

But Thorin’s glare was nothing compared to the one Thrain gave him, hands thrown up in the air as he looked around his court again for sympathy. “Have you all gone mad! Or maybe I’m the one who’s mad to think that BOTH of his sons think dealing with dragons is somehow honorable. Dealing with dragons?! Why don’t you make a deal with Morgoth while you’re at it! At least he wouldn’t want to sit in my treasure hall!”

Thorin bit his tongue, hand placed firmly on his younger brother’s chest to hold him back. Finally summonding the strength to not shout at his own father and king. “I do swear that this is no deal with Morgoth. Our people will keep their home AND their autonomy. This beast will not be my bane, nor our familiy’s, or our people’s!” Thrain stood silently as his son stormed out of the throne room, Dwalin following closely behind, with Frerin keeping up quickly behind the two. Fili and Kili stood on either side of their mother, wanting to follow with their uncle but yielding to their mother’s decision.  She also shot Thrain a nasty scowl, angry at him for embarrassing her brother in front of the court. She stormed out of the court as well, her young sons eagerly following in her footsteps.

Thorin turned quickly on his heels as soon as he was outside. About to give Frerin a nasty scolding Dis would be proud of for speaking out of turn when it felt like an earthquake suddenly striking the very ground beneath their feet.  As soon as the small earth quake subsided a loud roar echoed from the gaping hole in the lonely mountain’s halls, terror beginning to grip most of the town once again. And any chance the royal court of keeping Smaug a secret was gone in an instant. Thorin shot Frerin a glance as he turned on his heels. “Keep Dis and her sons safe, I will deal with the beast.”

“But Thorin-“

“For once in your life Frerin, do as I COMMAND!” Thorin snarled before turning, catching a quick glance at his trusted warrior as they bolted towards the halls of Erebor, noticing that this time all the guards and soldiers around the entrance immediately bolted, everyone fleeing from the accursed sound echoing from the deep.

Thorin and Dwalin stood at the shattered entrance, fully expecting the beast to come tearing out seeking the devastation he has spared them before. It was a few tense moments before the two warriors realized the beast wasn’t coming out to meet them, and after trading glances both stepped across the threshold, making their way back towards the treasure hall at a quick pace, the roars emminated and resonating through the halls growing louder as they approached. Just as they approached the small entrance to the treasure room the roars and tremors in the halls suddenly stopped, that eerie silence taking over once again. Thorin placed his hand on his warrior’s chest, keeping him back at the threshold as he slowly stepped down the stairs, keeping an eye on the large mound in the center of the room, once again surprised when the great beast’s head rose out of the gold and settled directly infront of the young prince, hot breath wafting over his sturdy frame.

“Mmm so you can come when you’re called.” The collosal beast smirking at the young prince.

“When I’m-“ Thorin glared at the beast down its muzzle. “You shook the mountain and scared everyone in town…just to summon me?” The perpetual smirk across Smaug’s muzzle indicated that that was indeed the case.  Thorin wanted nothing more than to stab the beast in its smirking maw for the insult, but he bit his tongue and chose his words carefully.

“What did you desire from me Smaug?” The huge wyrm breathing slowly and content, resting his large head on the steps at Thorin’s feet once again. “I am hungry, I desire three more cows.” And without another word he recoiled his head back down into his golden bedding, leaving a fuming Thorin to storm back up the stairs, not even pausing to address his warrior, both dwarves knowing what needed to be done.

But as they stepped back out into the sunshine the sight before them surprised them both. At the unexpected reveal that Smaug was very much alive the towns people had begun to panic, gathering up as much as they could in an attempt to flee before Smaug returned to reak havoc on them.  Thorin and Dwalin quickly ran back towards the temporary palace, quickly crossing paths with Frerin.

“Frerin! Frerin where is father! He needs to calm the people. All is fine, Smaug is benevelont!” The younger Durin shook his head.

“He is in a panic, just like the people, he is fanning their flames of fear, he believes you to have failed!” Thorin snarled and shook his head.

“Frerin, the people adore the youngest son of Thrain, take the guard down there, calm the people!” Frerin tried to protest. “Please Frerin, stifle their fears!”

Frerin nodded curtly, rushing back to mount his horse and gather as many guards as he could muster, heading down to the town to gather the village leaders, help to stifle the panic. Quickly there after Kili and Fili also approached on their large ponies.

“Uncle may we go?”

“Let us help uncle Frerin!” Thorin didn’t respond, only nodding curtly, both nephews heeling their ponies, urging them down the mountain after their younger uncle.

Thorin looked to Dwalin, comforted by his stoic nod of approval, trying to quickly figure out his next course of action, knowing Smaug was hungry and he was quickly running out of time. He decided to address the problem of his father’s doubt, wanting to stifle it before the entire court was turned against him, already losing the faith of their people.

Both Dwarves rushed to the palace having to push past guards trying to barracade the doors. “Father! FATHER!” Thorin stormed right up to him. “Stop this blind panic! The dragon is mearly hungry, you need to calm the people! Stop this madness!” Thrain didn’t even address his son as he scurried around, helping his grandfather collect up their possesions. Thorin was about to physically force him to address his son when he heard Frerin’s voice crying out from outside the palace.

Thorin ran out to greet him, hoping for good news, but judging by his expression there was a new problem at hand. “Frerin what is it? Are the people calm?”

Frerin tugged on the reigns, trying to keep his horse in place as he spoke to his older brother. “They are. But the village leaders and the men from lake town have come. They are threatening an uprising. They claim the line of Durin is mad, they do not believe controlling a dragon is possible!” Thorin sneered at Frerin’s words, looking side to side as he tried to think of something, and only one horrible course of action came to mind, audibly groaning as he replied.

“Ride down and tell them I will prove that I am in control of this situation.” Frerin nodded and slapped the reigns, hooves tearing up the dirt as he spun his horse around and made back towards the town, not knowing what Thorin had in mind but trusting him completely.

Dwalin had an equally puzzled looked as Thorin ran back towards the halls of Erebor shouting back at his warrior. “Find three cows and bring them up as quickly as possible, butchers or no, I’ll slaughter them myself if I have to.” Dwalin nodded before storming off to find any cows he could.

Thorin finally slowed his run as he approached the small entrance to the treasure hall, taking a deep breath to slow his breathing before stepping inside, not surprised that the dragon quickly rose out of the gold, thinking Thorin was bringing him food.  The look of disappointment and resentment very evident on his features.

“I did not take you for a failure dwarf prince. Or have you come to offer yourself as my meal?” Smaug glared, no purr in his voice at all as he glared down at the young prince, their faces inches away, the behemoth snarling.  Thorin stood his ground as he always did in the awesome presense of the huge beast.

“I have not failed you Smaug, your cows are on their way. But I first come to beg a favor of you.” Thorin clenched his first, not believing that within such a short span of time he was reduced to begging before a dragon. The statement seemed to peak Smaug’s interest, because the snarl faded slightly.

“Go on. Though I do not have a merciful reputation.” Though Smaug scoffed at the statement, we was very flattered that the young prince not only desired to feed him but also needed him, though Smaug wondered what for, his patience growing quite thin from being so hungry.

“The people grow restless, I want…need you to come out for a demonstration that you mean the towns people no harm. As soon as they are satisfied I can bring you your cows.” Thorin was almost startled by the gust of air that hit him as the dragon scoffed, chuckling in a non humorous way.

“You want me to work for my food? And trot around like your pet? I have never had to work for my food so far.” Smaug tried not to admit to himself that he was more offended by being denied food than pretending to be under the command of the young prince. “Why don’t I show the towns people I mean them harm and take the cows for myself?”

Thorin took a deep breath, deciding for the betterment of his people that he needed to change tactics and prostate himself even more. Setting pride aside Thorin quickly responded.

“The cows need to be carefully bred and cultivated so you will always have a healthy supply you do not need to work for. And with the townspeople satisfied you mean them no immediate harm the treasure will once again begin to swell.  And I will do anything to request of me, as true compensation for this task.”

For a moment, Smaug’s look was completely unreadable. He just stood like an extremely realistic statute, completely unmoving. Thorin only knowing it was still a real live beast by the warm air that wafted over him from each breath. Thorin held his, this moment absolutely crucial in deciding his fate. Thorin had never been so glad to see that signature smirk creep along Smaug’s lips as he pulled back, the halls echoing with his vibrating laugh. His huge paws making the earth shake once again as he stood to his full height in the large treasure hall, the earth rumbling at every step as the dragon made his way out of the treasure hall. Reversing his path from when he first entered, making it extremely difficult for Thorin to beat him to the front entrance, extremely surprised as Smaug did not step over him, simply taking the fewest steps possible to follow Thorin down the mountain to where the village leaders all stood.

It took every ounce of strength for Thorin not to smirk at the completely dumbstruck expressions on their faces, paralyzed to the ground with astonishment and fear. The crowd parting, all the townsfolk looking like they were all about to sprint as the dragon approached. For although the village leaders stood in front of the townspeople, their expressions were no braver.

Thorin stood in front of all the people gathered around, proud that his brother and sister-sons had done such a good job collecting and calming everyone. Thorin noticed with a flair for the dramatic, Smaug placed each of his humongous paws on either side of the young prince, framing him in his huge scaly presense.

“As all of you can plainly see. This dragon is no threat to our people, or the RIGHTFUL line of Durin. Let it be known that so long as the dragon sleeps in our halls, so shall the line of Durin.” And with that Thorin turned on his heels, the villages leaders quickly retreating under the glares of the guards and kin of Thorin. Smaug smirking as he casually looked over the village, curiously examining the buildings and people before turning on his clawed heels as well, easily beating Thorin as he slipped back into the treasure hall, groaning in pleasure as its soft embrace.

At the top of the clearing, at the entrance to Erebor, Dwalin met Thorin, pulling a cart with three cows that he had obviously slaughtered himself, helping wheel them in to the waiting dragon.

Dwalin took his usual place outside the small entrance as Thorin walked down the steps, Smaug eagerly tearing apart the cows once more, licking the blood off his claws as he lowered his head down to Thorin’s level, smirking horn to horn.

“What of our bargin Smaug. What do you desire of me?” Thorin began to hate that awful smirk that always seemed to be plastered across Smaug’s maw, the halls rumbling with his purrs.

“Mmm I thought you were quite good back there. Striking fear into the hearts of men.” He chuckled as he lay back down in the gold, Thorin noticing he did not submerge himself this time. “Mmm, as for our bargain. Have your warrior friend help you fetch your bed, you should be sleeping down here with your new PET.” Smaug chuckled, making the word ‘pet’ as sarcastic as possibly, infitinitely enjoying the shocked look on the young prince’s face. Figuring for once in his life the young prince was literally speechless, and Smaug took great pride in that.


	4. Dragons Can Be Strange Pets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thorin has to deal with Smaug's strange request; caught between an ever more irritating and demanding dragon and his father's disappointment and wrath. Trouble begins to creep on the horizon and distrust grows in the hearts of men, unsure how to perceive their dwarven neighbors with a dragon in their keep. And Kili finds a new friend ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay in chapter upload. I'm a grad student and had to give a departmental talk last week, and it took most of my time and energy. I've also just started in a new lab so I'm battling up a steep learning curve.
> 
> Here is my tumblr if any of y'all wonderful readers are interested. [TUMBLR](http://mcqueensqueen.tumblr.com/) I post chapter updates, random news about fics (delays, story ideas etc) and cute relevant reblogs. Plus people are more than able to send me prompts and story ideas and random questions through there too ^_^
> 
> Oh, and I finally woke my beat out of hibernation! She's a bit back logged @ the moment, but she'll be going thru and helping fix typos and continuity errors. If anyone spots any, please feel free to point them out!

Thorin stood, not even noticing that his usual stoic façade revealed his shock, shaking his head in disbelief, there was no way his mind was interpreting what he had heard correctly, surely he was going as mad as his farther seemed to think he was. “Come again Smaug?” Thorin fully expected Smaug to be upset at needing to repeat himself, actually relieved to see that awful smirk on his scaly lips.

“You asked what I wanted from our bargain. And I told you to fetch your bed, for you will be sleeping down here with your new…pride and joy.” The smirk never leaving his muzzle as he boasted about himself and looked at the young prince before resting his head on a pile of gold close to his shoulder, curled around himself like a cat in a ball. Smaug confident as ever that Thorin had heard him correctly once again, and would act accordingly. The old wyrm loving how he could so easily ruffle the stout little prince, slowly stripping away what little control he thought he had over the situation, forever putting his new toy in his place.

Thorin was once again completely perplexed by the strange request, noticing that Smaug lowered his head, ignoring Thorin’s presence once again. Noting the pattern that all of their conversations ended when the dragon was done with them and never longer, the young prince not used to being ignored and dismissed so casually. But then Thorin had never had to carry on a conversation with such a large and imposing beast before.

Knowing it would only irritate the dragon to continue the conversation, Thorin was forced to turn on his booted heels and trek up the grand staircase knowing Dwalin would meet him once he reached the top, figuring he had heard most, if not all of the conversation between himself and the beast. For once in his life Dwalin’s blank, stoic gaze annoying the young prince. Did nothing faze his most trusted warrior, did not even Thorin having to face down and control a dragon cause Dwalin to raise a brow? Or had even this ridiculous situation so quickly fallen from interest as all things do in time?

Thorin growled, finally losing his resolve, with both palms flat on the huge warrior’s chest, he shoved him, knocking him back slightly with strength and surprise on his side. Dwalin’s brow rising slightly at the unprovoked assault, not even raising his fists in defense, simply wanting to chuckle at the gesture. But he held his resolve, knowing it would only provoke his prince further to mock him when he was clearly distressed.

Thorin yelled a little louder than his last growl as he dug his fingers into his skull, fingers clenching in his hair before he lashed out at Dwalin again, pounding and shoving his impossibly broad chest, Dwalin simply enduring the abuse, even the swing that caught his lip, the familiar metallic taste assaulting his senses. The taste finally drawing a smile across his lips. “Yah done laddie?” Dwalin knew that even before the beast arrived in Erebor Thorin had an incredibly large burden on his shoulders, although he didn’t ever show it, Dwalin could tell the pressure and stress weighed on the young prince, which is why Dwalin was always there to spar with Thorin whenever he needed it, knowing Thorin didn’t exactly avoid self-destructive behaviors when extremely upset.

So the current outburst came as no surprise to the big warrior, what with the arrival of the beast and the vehement response to Thorin’s strategy for handling the situation. Thorin was breathing heavily, throwing his hand out, wilding gesturing in the direction of the treasure hall. “Did you hear what he asked of me?” Thorin didn’t even look or wait to see if Dwalin actually acknowledged he had before continuing. “How low am I to sink? How much pride must I strip myself of before both this beast and my farther as satisfied?”

Dwalin desperately wanted to say something profound to help his prince and lifelong friend, wishing for once in his life he had been born into a scholarly family, willing to trade his life as a warrior if he could simply help his prince in this terrible situation. But as usual he stood as a proud warrior with nothing to say, simply placing his huge gloved hands on Thorin’s shoulders giving him his usual supportive gaze, hoping it provided the prince with some comfort. 

The broad dwarf was relieved to see some of the tension melt away from Thorin’s strong features, the young prince’s breathing still ragged from frustration. He placed his own hands on Dwalin’s thick forearms, holding the leather braces as he slowly regained his composure, the royal dwarf very rarely betraying his emotions so openly, thankful that it was in front of his most trusted companion. His voice now more even but still hinting at his internalized frustration. “What would you recommend I do Dwalin? My father and his court will think me a weak willed fool for giving in to the dragon’s commands, but I’m not overly fond of spending the rest of my life in the belly of that infernal beast.” Dwalin couldn’t help but snicker, happy to see one of Thorin’s eyebrows raise in the skeptical way it did when he found something amusing and did not want to show it.

“Tah be honest laddie, if I were you I’d be a little more concerned about the dragon’s wrath than your father's. At least King Thrain doesn’t spit fire.” Thorin’s eyebrow raised again as Dwalin smirked, hating how easily Dwalin calmed his frustrations, the large warrior never failing to calm the young prince with the kingdom’s burdens on his shoulders.

“One would be foolish to argue with such sound logic.” Thorin turned as Dwalin obediently followed him, making their way towards the sleeping quarters of the royal family and court. Thorin knew that his own bed was quite literally impossible to move. All of the royal family’s beds were sculpted out of the very mountain, intricately carved and adorned with precious treasure collected from the heart of their mountain home. So instead Thorin and Dwalin made their way to the guest chambers, where the bed were carved from wood but were no less intricately decorated and sculpted.

As Thorin walked through the proud halls of his home he was saddened to discover how eerily quiet the halls could be when completely devote of any of his kin, the only sounds were his and Dwalin’s boots thudding on the polished stone floors as they made their way to the guest chambers in the grand sleeping halls, trying to find the one with the smallest bed to ease in transport. Dwarves desire to create things on a grand scale proving to be quite a nuisance since it would only be Dwalin and himself trying to drag it across the great halls to the large treasure room. Thorin trying to not even think about how in Middle Earth they were going to get it down the stairs.

“Over ‘ere!” Thorin followed Dwalin’s voice to one of the smaller guest chambers. The bed was still a large size, but it was definitely one of the smallest they could find, Dwalin already firmly securing his fingers around the foot board, ready to help move it as Thorin took his place at the head board. “On the count of three. One, two, THREE.”

On three both dwarves grunted loudly as Dwalin pulled and Thorin pushed, both dwarves incredibly strong and able to get the bed to yield a few feet before halting. The pair of dwarves getting into a rhythm of forcing the bed across the polished stone floors a couple feet at a time, working up a sweat as they finally reached the entrance to the treasure hall. Thorin poked his head inside to see what Smaug was up to, noticing he hadn’t moved from his spot or looked up to acknowledge Thorin’s presence. Rolling his eyes he joined Dwalin on the far side of the bed, the two pushing it out onto the stairs, controlling the bed’s fall as they slowly lowered it down the stairs, making a horrible racket at every step.

Upon reaching the landing they stopped for a moment, Thorin needing to decide exactly where he was to set up the temporary bedding, Dwalin waiting patiently for his prince to make a decision, nodding curtly as Thorin pointed towards the nearest corner of the room, not needing to point out that it was also a fair distance from the dragon.

Once they reached the bottom of the long steps and dragged the bed to the corner of the room the two dwarves stood to look over what they had accomplished, Thorin quite impressed how seemingly easily they had moved the bed all the way to the treasure hall. But their success was short lived as the beast finally rose up off the gold to finally acknowledge Thorin’s presence. Thorin didn’t miss the fleeting glare Smaug shot Dwalin before focusing on himself as usual. Thorin was proud of the glare Dwalin gladly returned, his gaze never leaving the huge reptilian head as it addressed his prince.

For a moment Dwalin considered placed his hand on his weapon, a gesture he normally made to send a clear message to adversaries he wasn’t opposed to a more physical diplomatic solution. But Dwalin halted the gesture, figuring there wasn’t anything that truly intimidated such a beast as this dragon. Instead he stood there motionless, closely watching the interaction between the two, infinitely impressed in his prince, staring down a beast who’s head was taller than he was.

Thorin stared up at the dragon as he usually did, watching the usual smirk creep across his muzzle as he lowered his head down to Thorin’s level, looking directly at him with his fiery eyes. “I’m almost impressed, that was quite rapid of you.” Smaug smirked as he very obviously looked up and down Thorin’s stout frame, the young prince’s stern glare never faltering. “But.” Smaug paused, slowly continuing in his long drawn out way. “I think your placement is rather poor.” Without any warning Smaug suddenly stood up to his full height, catching the dwarves off guard, but neither moving more than a little to steady themselves, dwarves naturally steady on their feet and hard to dislodge. Thorin and Dwalin had to quickly move out of the way of Smaug's huge paw as it lifted and then descended on the bed, his razor sharp claws easily wrapping around it. And for a moment Thorin’s gut twisted as he though the dragon was going to destroy the bed they had worked so hard to move.

Instead he walked backwards a few paces, the ground shaking beneath him as he moved, Thorin surprised how carefully Smaug seemed to set the bed down right where he had been sleeping when he and Dwalin had entered. Smaug once again settled down in the gold, only this time he curled himself around the bed, his muzzle nearly touching his shoulder, leaving only a small space for Thorin to pass through if he wanted access to the bed. Thorin breathed deeply, for it seemed that Smaug had returned to his sleep with no further instruction for him when suddenly he spoke, his voice echoing through the halls.

Smaug loved to keep his young prince on edge, endlessly tormenting him. He lay his head down as if pretending to sleep before speaking to the dwarf. “Mmm…you may go about your princely duties, just be back by sunset.” His tone changing to a slightly snarkier one. “And I can tell what time it is, even from down in here.”  He exhaled slowly, hot air pushing around some of the coins as he settled in to truly digest his large bovine meal.

Although he didn’t explicitly say it, Thorin understood it as both a command and a threat; that he was to return at sunset and no later. Not giving the dragon a chance to say anything else Thorin stormed up the steps, desperate to get out of the treasure hall, that despite its size felt way too small with the dragon inside it. Dwalin quickly following behind his prince, the pair not stopping till they reached the shattered front entrance, Thorin not surprised to see his brother and sister-sons waiting for him in the entry way.

“Uncle are you all right?!”

“You were gone so long, we worried the dragon had…”Kili trailed off before looking to his brother for support, Thorin’s brow raised at his nephew’s overzealous reaction to most situations. But Thorin couldn’t help but cut the boys some slack, his sister’s husband had died when they were both very young, and Frerin and he had helped raise them as their own. Without speaking Thorin held out his arms, his sister-sons rushing to hug their uncle. They had not wanted to say anything before, and had done a good job so far of hiding their anxiety every time Thorin went into the halls of Erebor. But it was proving to be too much for them, and once they had a hold of their uncle, they did not want to let go.

Thorin held both of their heads, fingers laced in their thick manes as he held them close. “It is alright boys, your uncle is more than able to master a dragon.” The two younger dwarves looked up at their uncle, smiling and chuckling softly as they still held him tight. It took Thorin a moment to realize the two were probably not going to be letting go anytime soon, so he gave Dwalin a knowing look. Standing behind the pair Dwalin laced his arms around each of the boys, hoisting them up and off Thorin with a grunt, the boys kicking and protesting.

“Dwalin!”

“Let us down!”

Dwalin chuckled as he easily held the two squirming heirs under his arm pits. Thorin gave a little smile at the sight before it fell as he noticed Frerin’s somber façade. “What is it brother?” Frerin took a long breath.

“The men from Lake Town and Dale are coming. They want a formal meeting with father and the court to discuss...” He lifted his hand and vaguely gestured in the direction of the treasure hall. Thorin nodded and waited for Frerin to continue. “Father has called a meeting, he wants the line of Durin to be a unified front against the questioning of the men.” Thorin audibly groaned as he led the way towards the temporary palace, Frerin following behind him.

“Uncle!”

“Let us come!” Both nephews kicked and squirmed as Dwalin held them in place.

“What shall I do with the lads?” Dwalin chuckled as he gave them a shake, the younger dwarves groaning as they squirmed.

“They may come. No doubt my father will want the entire house of Durin present.” Dwalin chuckled as he dropped the two dwarves, both landing with a thud and loud protests, the two quickly scrambling up and throwing punches at the large warrior as he followed Thorin, ignoring them as casually as one would ignore a pair of overzealous pups.

Crossing the green field at a quick pace, the small party of dwarves quickly made it to the once abandoned palace. Thorin heading to the back chambers where he knew his father would be, Frerin and Dwalin directing Kili and Fili off in a different direction, leaving Thorin to approach his father’s chambers alone. He took a moment to pause before knocking, thinking for a moment that he would rather be back in the treasure hall with that infernal dragon than dealing with his father’s wrath and disappointment again.

Thorin entered when beckoned, not missing the drawn out sigh his father emitted when he realized it was Thorin who had entered. Composing himself, Thrain sat in the large chair in his chambers, looking as kingly and dignified as he always did sitting in a throne. The young prince returned his father’s stern glare, neither father nor son yielding as a heavy silence hung over the room, Thrain finally breaking it as he spoke.

“As Frerin has no doubt told you, the men of Lake Town and Dale are coming to speak with us. They want to be…appraised of the situation. Make sure we have it under control. Do we have it under control?”  Thorin clenched his fists ever so slightly at the hidden insult in his father’s words, breathing slowly to control his tone.

“I would have assumed that the demonstration earlier this morning would have been enough to convince anyone of that fact.” He spat that last couple words back at his father as if it were an ignorant question only a fool would ask.

Thrain sighed heavily, massaging his brow with his fingers before looking back up at his eldest son. “Thorin, all your life I have raised and nurtured you to take the throne once I and your grandfather are gone. And although I am sure you mean well, how can you possibly hope that there is even a slim chance of this ending well?” Thorin took a sharp breath, and kept his lip from curling up in a sneer. “Put yourself in my place son. Would you trust someone else who made such a foolish decision?”

At that, Thorin’s resolve finally snapped. “Protecting our people is not foolish.”

“Thorin listen to yourself! You are quite literally playing with fire! Do you not remember your history? What happened to my grandfather and uncle?” Standing up suddenly Thrain stormed over to Thorin, still speaking loudly. “Well do you?”

Thorin held back a growl as he slowly responded. “Yes, I remember the stories.”

“What brought the downfall of your great grandfather Thorin? What drove our people out of the Grey Mountains to here in Erebor? WHAT THORIN!?”

Thorin couldn’t quite hold back a snarl as he stared up at his father, speaking slowly, knowing his father was right. “A dragon. It was a dragon.”

“That’s right. A cold drake named Rhydwin came down from the north among others. It killed both my grandfather and uncle. History is repeating itself Thorin, this fire you’re playing with will be your downfall.” Thorin just stood and took the abuse, glaring at his father as he spoke, not caring if it could be considered disrespectful. Thrain took a long dramatic breath as he composed himself again. “But for now we must deal with the problem at hand. We must assure the men that the…situation is under control. Rumors grow of enemies who have heard of the dragon’s return and think Erebor undefended. The last thing we need is the men turning against us as well. Our people needed certainty in this dangerous time. It is your job to give them that Thorin…do not make another poor decision.

Thorin glared at his father, not even giving him the courtesy of a bow as he left him, going quickly to find his brother in the throne room to greet the representatives from Lake Town and Dale. Dwalin was standing in his usual place, off to the side, where he could easily watch and guard the royal family. Frerin and Dis were in their usual places as well, and for a moment Thorin wondered where his sister-sons had gone to, but before he could devote any more thought to it, his father had stepped inside and taken his seat as the men from Lake Town and Dale were let in by the guard.

 

“Come on Kee we’re gonna be late, the men are already here!” Kili looked around like he was searching for something, frantically turning around.

“I lost my bow Fee. I think I dropped it when Dwalin picked us up.”

“It’s just a bow Kee, you can get it later!” Fili tugged on his younger brother’s sleeve, trying to get him to move.

“I can’t, it’s special! It’s the one uncle Frerin gave me!” Before Fili could stop him, Kili ran back towards the gates of Erebor to retrieve his bow, Fili trying to figure out how they could slip into the throne room without being spotted once Kili returned.

 

Bard cursed the Master of Lake Town. For although he was indeed a wise ruler, he was also beyond saving when it came to being greedy and petty. As payback for Bard wining a bet against him, the Master left Lake Town to visit the dwarves of Erebor a full hour before he had told Bard he would. Thus leaving Bard to run after the entourage in hopes of not being disrespectfully late to the meeting.

Once he reached the top of the hill he looked around to try and figure out where he should turn, noticing what he assumed to be a young dwarf running past him towards the great stone facade that must have been the entrance to the legendary hall of Erebor, surprised to see him caring a quiver and picking up a discarded bow. Bard had never known dwarves to take up archery, they seemed to prefer weapons made of metal and needing strength to wield.

“Excuse me.” Kili suddenly turned when he realized he was being addressed, distracted by being so happy to find his favorite bow.

“Yes?” Kili smiled as he usually did when meeting new people, but this was not just any person. This man was tall with sharp features and dark hair like his own. Kili figured he must be one of the men visiting from Lake Town or Dale, but he didn’t seem to be dressed very formally. Kili would have easily mistaken him for a ranger, especially given his bow and quiver which immediately caught his attention.

Bard was about to ask for directions to the dwarven palace when something caught in his throat. Given his stature, the male in front of him was definitely dwarven, but his face was much softer and somehow sweeter than the dwarves Bard had known before. He wasn’t sure if this was what all younger dwarves looked like, or if this one was special. By the gods this one was special, his gently bearded chin gracefully pointed and his eyes impossibly alluring. Bard also noticed that although this young dwarf had a very thick mane, there were no braids in it. The bowman had been told before that dwarves braided their hair for special events in their life or had loved ones braid it for them. Bard momentarily hoped that this one’s untamed hair symbolized him being unattached.

Kili stood awkwardly for a moment as the very handsome bowman stood before him, obviously staring at him and admiring him. The youngest heir of Durin felt a blush rise in his cheeks as he was looked over. More often than not Kili was teased for his seeming lack of any real ability to grow a real beard. Kili smiled sweetly, before fidgeting with the bow in his hands. “Did you need something?” It sounded worse than it had in his head, hoping he hadn’t offended some important dignitary his uncle was supposed to meet with.

“Can you show me where the dwarven court is located? I’m unfortunately late for an important meeting.” Bard gave the young dwarf a sweet smile as he noticed him fidgeting nervously, Bard feeling a hint of shame for making the attractive dwarf uncomfortable, but also taking a little pride as he noticed a hint of a blush on those soft cheeks.

“Oh, of course. I was just heading back there myself.” He smiled with his large dopey grin, leading the way back towards the temporary palace. Bard trying desperately not to stare at the young dwarf as they walked together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So um...Kili/Bard just happened. *hides* That poor cuite needs some good loving! And I know a lot of people are not comfortable with incest (I usually ship Kili/Fili) so I needed someone else to give little Kili some loving. Tho it was extremely hard to describe Kili without using the phrase, "OH GOD KILI IS SUCH A CUTE LITTLE BEEBEE, AAAAAHHHH!" 
> 
> Questions, comments, concerns? Always welcome!!!
> 
> P.S. I have some free time tonight, so I shall be writing some more and their should be another chapter soon. ^_^


	5. A Firestorm is Brewing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dwarves of Erebor are being to find out that the dragon isn't the only trouble brewing they will soon have to face. The politics of the situation between men and dwarves are beginning to grow more complicated by the moment. And the relationship between Smaug and Thorin continues to twist and turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to all the my followers of this story for being so impossibly patient! Not only did I have my long distance boy friend over for two weeks, but on the day I had to take him to the airport I found I was laid off. So I've been really struggling with that for the last few weeks. But in my unemployment I've begun to get back to creative endeavors and shall be resuming this story full time! More to come! Cross my heart and hope to die!
> 
> P.S. Information post on ages: http://mcqueensqueen.tumblr.com/post/51842582305/fanfiction-information-d

Fili nervously paced outside the throne room, wondering where Kili could have possibly gone to. This was exactly the reason their mother had made him Fili’s responsibility; Kili was extremely gifted when it came to getting into trouble. Pacing back and forth Fili finally heard Kili’s familiar boot steps approaching, rushing out to greet him.

“Kee come one, we have to get in there.” His speech suddenly halted when he noticed that Kili had brought someone back with him. He couldn’t help but remember all the times Kili had brought a stray animal home, much to the dismay of their mother. Kili would hold some squirming pup or kit in his arms, begging Fili to help him convince Dis to let them keep it. “Kee, you said you were going back for your bow. But you brought back an entire bowman!”

Kili smiled up at Bard, the tall bowman returning the smile. “Fee…I couldn’t just leave him out there. He’s one of the men from Lake Town. Here to speak with uncle about the dragon.” Bard nodded in agreement, giving Fili a small sweet smile. From their tone and the way they talked to each other, Bard assumed they must be brothers, or at least cousins.

“I am thankful for you letting me have your cousin for a short time, for I am quite rudely late to this important meeting.” Kili giggled at the misnomer, Fili smiling at Bard’s mistake. Although their bond was the strongest any brothers could have, the comment that the brothers looked nothing alike was often made. Though usually never within earshot of Dis more than once. She took great offense at the implications of such a comment.

Kili threw his arm around his older brother’s shoulders. “Fili’s my brother Bard.” Bard smiled and gave the pair of brothers a little bow.

“My apologies master Kili.” He gave Kili his soft sweet smile again, Kili blushing and looking down at his feet. Fili simply raised his eyebrow at the two. He was used to his younger brother’s adorable attempts at flirting, most ending as Kili’s misadventures usually did. Fili rolled his eyes and took ahold of his brother’s forearm.

“Come on Kee, he have to get inside, there is a side door we can sneak into.”

“But what about Bard?” The younger dwarf held his position, gesturing to the tall bowman. Kili once again had that pleading look in his face that always suckered Fili into joining whatever mischief Kili was getting them into.

“He may come with us of course.” Fili gestured for Bard to follow him as he pulled Kili along, the two quickly padding down the hall before lifting up a seemingly random tapestry and disappearing underneath it. It took Bard a moment to process what he had just seen before mimicking the young dwarves movements, finding a hidden passage where the two dwarves were smiling at him from; Kili gesturing for Bard to follow them. He had to stoop even lower than the dwarves did. He wondered for a moment why he had decided to follow these two young dwarves through some unknown tunnel when he could have just come in late through the front door. But then he remembered how petty the Master of Lake Town could be, still sore from losing. He knew that if he were to come in late the Master would try to humiliate him in front of the dwarven court, so Bard was instead following the dwarven brothers through a hidden passageway in this once deserted palace.

After only travelling a short distance, they reached a fork, Kili gesturing to the left with a smile before Fili tugged him to the right. Bard returned the smile before nearly crawling down the passage to the right before he heard the voice of the Master of Lake town, realizing this entrance was also covered by a large tapestry. Pushing it aside as carefully and as slowly as he could, he stood to his full height as he slowly slipped into the back of the crowd, thankful that everyone was facing forward. Looking to the right, he watched as the dwarven pair did the same, slowly making their way towards who he assumed was their mother.

Kili and Fili tried their very best to slip in next to their mother unnoticed, thankful that whatever discussion was going on, had everyone’s rapt attention. Kili watched as Bard slowly and casually made his way up in the group of men visiting his family’s court, extremely impressed by how casually he moved to the front of the group, not raising any suspicions. Kili wondered again if Bard was actually a ranger, Kili wanting so badly to learn from the very handsome human.

 

“Ahhh…good afternoon King Thrain.” The Master of Lake Town had his usual charismatic and greasy grin he always used when trying to persuade someone to do something for him or be swayed to his point of view.  “How good of you to see us, and on such short notice. We know this is a most…trying time.” King Thrain sat next to his farther, both with their hands clasped in their laps, faces stoic as they let their guest’s words float past them.

“You are welcome Master of Lake Town. What business do you have with our court today?” Thorin stood next to his father, his face as stoic as his kings in the presence of their guest.

“M’lords, my people…and myself of course; are curious about the…current situation at hand.”

Thrain breathed deeply. “And what situation would that be?”

The Master chuckled as he looked around the court at his company. “Well the dragon of course. We heard there was a little…demonstration this morning. And we wanted to hear it from the source.” He paused for moment before continuing. “To put it bluntly, we want to be assured that our dwarven friends have the situation under control for the safely of all of us in the shadow of the mountain, and that there are no…insidious motives involved that could threaten our allegiance.”

At that insinuation both Kili and Fili sprang forward to defend their family’s honor, Frerin catching them just in time to do it for them. “The line of Durin will not tolerate such an insult!” Frerin looked to his father who was surprised by his outburst.

“Frerin!” Thrain stood up, wanting to scold his youngest son for forgetting his place, but also not wanting to appear as a house divided.

“Our family is in control of the beast, and bears no ill intentions…however deserved they may be.” Thrain scolded his young son again.

“Frerin SIT DOWN!”

But instead of being offended, the Master of Lake Town just chuckled. “You have quite the pair of sons King Thrain. But I think I am more interested in what your eldest has to say for himself.

Thorin breathed slowly as all eyes in the room turned to him, speaking slowly as he stepped forward. “As my father has no doubt said before, the situation is under control. I am now in command of the beast. And the beast will only be our greatest weapons against our emeries…our true enemies.” The Master smirked as he began to chuckle.

“See? Now was that so hard? That’s all the reassurance we wanted. A simple statement to quell our people’s anxiety. For it is not every age we have a dragon in our lands.” The Master of Lake Town gave a small bow to the dwarven court before slowly retreating back through the front door of the palace, leaving the dwarven court alone. Kili caught the sweet smile Bard shot him as he slipped out the door after the Master. “Blast it all, where did you come from Bard?” The rest of his speech faded as the men left the halls.

As soon as the doors shut the youngest pair of dwarves recoiled back as their grandfather’s voiced bellowed through the halls. “By Mahal Frerin, what in Middle Earth is wrong with you? Does a father no longer have any say in how his sons behave?”

“But father-” Thrain threw his large gloved hand up, stopping Frerin in his tracks.

“SILENCE!” The small throne room echoed with his loud voice before going eerily quiet save for the heavy breathing of the King who let out a low growl at his youngest son. “I will hear no more of this!” He grumbled and took his seat in his throne, his hands clasped together just under his lower lip as his voice lowered. “Get out, all of you. I won’t have this family embarrassed any further.”

Frerin grumbled, about to protest when Thorin caught his shoulder, pulling him back and immediately out of the throne room, knowing how impossibly stubborn his brother was and how inept he seemed to be when following orders.

Thrain reached out his large hand to his only daughter, Kili and Fili still standing next to her protectively. With her head held high she stepped over to her father taking his hand. Her brothers and her father were impossibly stubborn, even among dwarves, but Dis could not deny that she still loved her father very much. The king opened his mouth to speak, but his only daughter cut him off.

“I know what you would ask me to do father, and as much as I love you and my brothers, I will not get in the middle of your quarrel. Your dispute between Frerin, Thorin and yourself is your own, and myself and my sons will have no part in it.” She leaned forward to give her father a kiss on the cheek before letting go of his hand and ushering her sons out the front doors, following their uncles out. Once outside they were immediately greeted by the heated words exchanged between the sons of Thrain, both brothers angrily yelling at each other.

“How can you stand there and let father and our family be insulted like that Thorin?”

“It was not our place to speak, father wanted a unified front against the questioning men and you denied him that.”

“Only because he is too foolish to stand up for this family and its decision.”

“That is not your place to decide Frerin. This was my choice and my burden to bear.”

“But it shouldn’t HAVE to be. We are a family Thorin, and that means being a ‘unified front’ as you call it. We have no control over this situation and father wants us to pretend everything is fine!”

“I do have this under control!” Thorin bellowed his retort at his younger brother, when in fact he knew the exact opposite to be true. Though he assured his father and the men that he had the dragon under control and was in command, he knew no such power existed, and was merely bluffing for the perceived safety of all. Thorin knew he had no real control of the dragon that slept in their treasure halls; in fact, he still wasn’t even sure why the dragon didn’t try to eat him every time he entered the halls. From everything he had ever heard about dragons told him that they were extremely protective of their treasure and destroyed or ate anything that they perceived as a threat. Which Thorin interpreted as meaning Smaug either did not see him as a legitimate threat, or trusted him not to be one.

Frerin fumed at his older brother as the eldest stared back with an equally intense glare. For although Dis was not interested in getting between her father and her brothers, she had no problem with getting in between her older brothers. “Enough of this!” Kili and Fili watched their mother intently, always amazed at how she could so easily push and boss their uncles around. “You two are insufferable! Fighting over the exact same thing. You two are worse than my boys sometimes.”

Fili and Kili both pouted at the insult, but knew way better than to argue with their mother when she was upset. Especially when she was upset at her brothers. The mighty female dwarf, despite her smaller stature than her brothers, pushed them apart Frerin storming off as he usually did when an argument with his family didn’t go very well. Thorin made to go after him but Dis caught him by the sleeve. “Let him go Thorin, he’s just trying to help.”

“That doesn’t excuse his behavior Dis.” Dis just smiled and rolled her eyes at her impossibly stubborn brothers. She turned to address her sons. “Boys, you are to keep your uncles out of trouble you understand?” Dis turned back to address her older brother who had a brow raised at Dis’ comment to her sons. “But don’t you let them anywhere near that infernal beast you hear me?” The young dwarves pouted again, really wanting a chance to see the dragon Thorin had tamed.

Dis lightened up a little when Thorin’s big warrior joined them outside the palace, giving Dis his smug warrior grin. Thorin also gave his sister his very small barely noticeable smile, his sister sons quickly following behind him as he headed off; Thorin knowing that he had a lot of work to do, confirming if the dragon’s presence was going to swell into a larger problem than it already had manifested into.  Thorin also wanted to keep himself as distracted as possible until sundown when he needed to return to the treasure hall of Erebor to comply with the dragon’s strange demand.

 

The small entourage of men and guards slowly made their way down from the temporary palace of the dwarves towards the town of Dale to stay for a few nights. The journey was not that far for the men to trek, but the Master of Lake Town was not one to miss an opportunity to take a small vacation under the guise of a diplomatic mission. The Master’s large but seemingly ratty overcoat dragged along the ground behind him, Bard so very tempted to step on in and claim it was an accident, but he kept his façade stoic as he retrained himself, idly listening as the Master prattled on about something seemingly unimportant.

Settling in at their inn in Dale, the Master as his close entourage set up in a large booth in the back, the table covered in glasses in a short while. Bard wished his standing were not important enough to require him to be in such close proximity to the Master all the time, but he dealt with it as he always did, ignoring his not so subtle bragging and ego boosting of his toadies. But when the conversation switched to the dwarves of Erebor, Bard was in rapt attention, though his expression never changed from his usual stoic yet subtly friendly façade.

“Well gentlemen, I don’t know about all of you, but the dwarf’s reputation of having a front as rock hard and dull as their stone works has lost a lot of its intensity. Since the dragon they seem to have begun molding and forging out of a softer stone…like silk.” The Master laughed loudly, joined by his entourage of toadies who all laughed at the expense of the dwarves. The Master continuing to chuckle even though he noticed Bard was not joining in on their festivities. “Oh what’s the matter Master Bard, don’t find the dwarves as humorous as we do?”

Bard took a slow breath in, knowing how the Master loved to poke fun at him in front of others. “I think with this dragon under their control the dwarves pose a very serious threat to any they deem their enemies.”

“Well there we agree Master Bard…assuming they actually have control over the beast. If they are as in a lack of control as I suspect they are, their line has finally weakened in a way that may prove useful to us.” He smirked as he looked across the big table, giving Bard a pointed look.

Bard hid a smirk that his tone could barely contain. “Unless you’re wrong in your assessment. Don’t you think a tangle with a race in control of a dragon is a gamble with rather high stakes?” Bard continued to hide his smirk as he noticed the slight sneer that crept up on the Master’s face at his comment.

“Hmmf, indeed.” He took a slow swig of his drink before continuing. “Then maybe somebody should keep an eye on the dwarves. Stay up in Erebor to see if the dragon really is the threat the dwarves claim it is.”

Bard’s eyes widen, he wanted to immediately jump on the chance to be near the dwarves again, his own selfish agenda to be near the beautiful young dwarf again. But at the same time, he hated when he had to agree with the Master of Lake Town. But his own desires overrode any posturing pride he had with the Master. Plus he treasured any time he had away from the town and chances to explore new places.

“Why don’t I take on that responsibly?  Take it as my wager against your inclination of the dwarf’s reptilian weakness.” The Master raised his brow and took another long swig before setting it firmly on the counter.

“I think we’ve got a deal Master Bard.”  He laughed and the toadies quickly joined him, Bard rolling his eyes as he didn’t even bother touching his drink, taking an opportunity to take leave to the bathroom and conveniently never returned. Though he doubted with this crowd he’d be hardly missed. Quickly making his way back up towards Erebor, not really thinking through where he was going to be staying while keeping an eye on the dwarves, when in fact there was only one dwarf he wanted to keep his eyes on.

There was still a little light left in the day as he made the trek back up the large lonely mountain to the new palace of Erebor.

 

As much as Thorin tried to deny it, as the sun slowly started to set on Erebor his tension began to mount. He was a dwarf who had gone into battle countless times and had never felt this kind of uncomfortable coil in his belly. And to be honest he wasn’t quite sure if this uncomfortable tension was because he would be sharing close quarters with a beast that could easily devour him, or because he had to prostate himself in such a demeaning way to such a horrible creature; or some combination of the both.

And although the dwarf prince never yielded to an outside threat, he knew it was best not to infuriate the dragon, if nothing else to avoid it exacting some form of revenge on his fellow dwarves. So as the sun made its final descent Thorin completed the last of his work with his nephews by his side before sending them back to the palace, not surprised when Dwalin appeared by his side as the sun began to set.

“Alright laddies, it’s time to get back to the palace.”

The two sister-sons had matching perplexed looks on their faces as they looked to their uncle who didn’t seem to be joining them in their return with Dwalin.

“Uncle, won’t you join us?” Fili nodded in agreement with his younger brother, both still carrying matching perplexed gazes.

Thorin couldn’t help the deep sigh as he shook his head. “I’m afraid not Kili, I have…business to attend to tonight.”

“But uncle! Ah!” Both sister-sons huffed as the study warrior grabbed them from behind, holding them under each of his arms.

“Come on laddies, stop hassling your uncle.” They kicked and squirmed like they did when they were small children under the arms the big burly dwarf.

“But Dwalin!” They continued to kick and squirm as Dwalin carried them back towards the palace, giving Thorin a mixture of amusement at the young dwarf’s antics and sympathy for what his prince had to do as soon as the sun went down.  Thorin’s lips curled up in a slight smile at his burly warrior, silently thanking him for not making him have to explain the situation to his family just yet.  He wondered how Dwalin was going to explain it to them when he finally put the kicking and screaming boys down.

Taking in another long breath Thorin gave one last look at the setting sun before turning to head towards the gates of Erebor. It paining him how much dread seeing those once familiar gates brought him. The once proud gates now held a sense of dread and foreboding, because of the horrible beast that lay inside it. He continued one towards the gate, looking everywhere but at the massive amount of damage the dragon had inflicted on the front gate. Ignoring the massive hole the beast had crawled through on his way to take claim of the dwarf’s massive treasure hoard.

Passing through the damaged halls was now second nature to the dwarf prince; his booted feet carrying him back to the massive treasure hall, through the small passage in the front to where the beast of Erebor lay.  This time Thorin knew exactly where the beast was sleeping, for although there were several large piles of treasure that could easily hide a dragon in their enormity, there was only one pile curled around where the large dwarven bed had been dragged to.

Thorin took in a long breath as he ended his pause at the top of the stairs and began trekking down the long staircase, wondering if the dragon was indeed still sleeping or if he was pretending as he usually seemed to. As he slowly made his way down the steps, his analytical and technical mind began to process the situation, wondering exactly how this situation was going to play out. How exactly was this sleeping situation going to work, and what was he going to sleep in, he had neglected to bring anything with him to sleep in, for although he hated taking orders from the huge beast, he did understand the possible repercussions of disobeying the creature.

His booted feet carried him to the bottom of the stairs, perching on the last step. The old wyrm’s head and neck completely wrapped around the large dwarven bed, completely sealing it off from any approaches. Thorin was beginning to get used to the dragon’s annoying habits and strange behavior, figuring he just needed to wait at the bottom of the stairs and the dragon would eventually acknowledge his presence. Fortunately he only had to wait a minute before the dragon’s nostrils twitched and he blew out a puff of steam, his muzzle twitching as his eyes slowly opened and his large head rose up out of the treasure in its usual serpentine manner. His large head slowly tilted and swayed over to face the young prince as he always did. Thorin figured it at least meant something that the dragon always faced him when he spoke to him, instead of ignoring him from the confines of his stolen treasure.

“Mmm the little dwarf prince knows how to be punctual.” He chuckled as he blew his usual warm breath over the stout dwarf, irritating him as he usually did. “Ready for bed little dwarf? Those look like some uncomfortable sleeping clothes though.” He smirked, shifting his head to the side, giving the prince a direct path to the wooden bed. Head cocked as he patiently watched the dwarf, knowing the sudden silence would make the dwarf uncomfortable. And the awe his presence commanded always pleased Smaug.

Thorin internalized his struggle as he decided on what course of action to take, wanting no more than to stab the horrid beast between the eyes. The prince had to push that option to the end of the list for the time being and instead drew a long breath as he slowly stepped off the last stair and descended into the treasure pile, finding it harder to walk on then he imagined. But dwarves are sturdy folk, and hard to topple so Thorin easily made his way across the loose treasure. Once across he stood at the side of the bed, never taking his eyes off the great beast, pausing and on purpose waiting for Smaug to instruct him, enjoying making the dragon work for his pleasure.

Smaug lazily tilted his head as he looked over the dwarf, hoping he was making him as uncomfortable as possible. Taking his sweet time before speaking to the dwarf prince. “Might as well get comfortable little prince. No point sleeping in all that armor.” He smirked and blew another puff of hot air over the stout dwarf as he continue to watch him.

Thorin barely contained his growl. Although he knew it was pointless, wearing his armor around the beast gave him some small comfort; for at least if the dragon decided to eat him he would at least be a painful and uncomfortable meal. But he also knew that he wasn’t going to be able to sleep wearing all of his armor, and realistically he needed all of his energy to deal with this dragon. Taking a large breath he reached down to his belt and began to casually remove his outer armor, peeling off his armor and folding it as he always did, placing the pieces together at the foot of the bed for what he hoped would be easy access to it in the morning. He even kicked off his boots and added them to the pile before casually kneeling onto the bed and laying back, closing his eyes and completely ignoring the dragon’s presence as he lay on the bed.

Smaug smirked, snorting out a warm breath over the dwarf prince before settling his head back down into the gold in its original position as if he hadn’t moved in hours. The huge beast lay there watching his favorite little toy exactly where he wanted him, and that pleased the old wyrm.

Used to keeping his breath steady before battle, Thorin kept his breath slow and even as he listened to the large beast lowering his head into the gold, with his eyes closed his hearing was slightly more acute, he could hear the dragon’s fins and spike twitching, and scales rubbing against each other and the gold as it settled in. The dwarf waited a few minutes, the room eerily silent despite such an awesome creature sleeping in its depth. After what felt like eternity, Thorin opened his eyes, wanting to examine the dragon without it staring at him. But as soon as he opened his eyes his vision was nearly full of the great fiery eye of the beast staring right back of him. It startled him ever so slightly suddenly being so close to such a use eye, but his expression never betrayed his feelings as he lay there watching the beast. What Thorin assumed was a third eyelid occasionally slid over the fiery glass like eye, exactly like a cat’s would. He had to admit it was interesting to watch on such a large scale, but that wasn’t going to change how furious he was with the beast.

“You going to watch me all night _Smaug_? Surely I can’t be all that interesting to watch.” The dragon smirked as only his large eye moved, clearly scanned over the dwarf laying in his plain closes under his armor. 

“Mmmm you should know that dragons always keep a watchful eye on _their_ treasure.” He smirked, his clear lid sliding over his eye as he smirked, chuckling to himself, the ground vibrating as he laughed, the sensation strange in the position of laying on a bed. The dwarf price unable to help rolling his eyes, and snarling ever so slightly, hating how the dragon referred to him as _his_ treasure, as if Thorin could be anyone’s property. But he knew that until he could figure out a way of truly controlling the beast, or killing it, he would have to put up with its irritating remarks. He knew that the resistance he could put up against the dragon at this point was passive aggressive, so instead of replying he simply closed his eyes and ignored the dragon. The sound of that familiar irritated snort filled his ear, gaining a small victory for irritating the dragon without any horrible burns or being immediately eaten. And despite the fact that he had to sleep in the den of this awful beast, at least he had the satisfaction of irritating the dragon in any little way he could.


	6. A man among dwarves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bard, having become enamored with the youngest heir of Durin, tries tries to explore the potential of this courtship, finding dwarves to be a rather close knit group. Thorin is starting to realize how difficult the situation with the dragon is truly turning out to be and how everyone is taking advantage of the situation for their own gain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize greatly for the delay! Work has been super rough and been trying to hammer out all the complicated details I want this plot to have! Thanks everyone for sticking with me! You guys are truly the best. <3<3<3 
> 
> I apologize if this chapter ends in a slightly awkward place, I wanted to get something out for you guys as I continued to more regularly work!

As Bard made his way back up the steep slope towards the dwarven halls as the sun set, never having been on the mountain when the beautiful orange sun set against the mountain side, slowing his pace a bit so he could enjoy it before making his way up the rest of the mountain. Once up onto the grassy slope he came to a split, on the left sat the famed hall of Erebor. It’s huge façade just as impressive and intimidating as he’d been told in all the stories about the dwarves. It was a massive structure indeed, and it saddened Bard to see such amazing crafts work destroyed with a massive hole punched through it. It also helped solidify the reality that there was a dragon inside those old dwarven halls, as clearly made evident by the massive hole busted into the stone wall. The sight was more unsettling that he expected it would be. Thankfully the temporary dwarven palace he’d visited before was off to the right.

Despite having been so infatuated watching the young dwarf, it wasn’t very hard to retrace his steps back towards the dwarven palace. It was an impressive old structure indeed, though not as impressive after having just viewed the stone façade of the underground dwarven kingdom. As soon as he got within a close sight of the palace, suddenly realizing that there would be guards around the palace, he wouldn’t be able to simply waltz in and ask to speak with the beautiful young dwarf, surprising himself at how often his thoughts went back to him, over and over again.

So instead of making his way towards the front door as he had before, he slipped off into the wood next to the palace, quickly scaling one of the large trees, climbing them as he had learned to do as a child playing in the woods around Lake Town. Once he made it most of the way up the tree he went out one of the longer limbs, graceful as a cat as he walked along the branch before leaping onto one of the slanted roofs, grimacing at the noise he made as he landed, hoping no one would hear it, or at least think it was just the branches beating against the sides.

Bard noticed as he clung to the roof that this palace was clearing designed by men. For it was basic knowledge that dwarves absolutely refused to live above ground. He’d been told that every sane dwarf always preferring the underground lifestyle.  If it weren’t such a catastrophic event, it would have amused Bard that it literally took a dragon to force the dwarves to live above the ground.  Holding onto the intricately designed walls of the palace, Bard made his way along the outside of the second story of the palace. To Bard this building was enormous, way bigger than anything he’d grown up with in Lake Town. But he had been to school as a child, despite not wanting to, and he remembered seeing much larger palaces than this. Buildings he assumed were on scale with what he imagined Erebor to look like.

As he quietly slipped along the roof he carefully listened at each window, listening for the now familiar sound of the very handsome young dwarf’s voice. Careful not to draw any attention as he slipped by all the ones with no or the wrong sounds. A large smile slid across his face as he immediately recognized one of the voices coming from the next window over, trying not to hurry his pace and accidentally slip. He waited just outside the window wanting to wait for the appropriate time to come in through the window. The bowman for the first time realizing just how strange his entrance was going to be. Especially when he suddenly realized there was another voice in the room and he got a spike of jealousy in his belly before realizing that is was the voice of the young dwarf’s older brother, worrying exactly how he was going to take his sudden arrival in the window. He hoped that the older brother would take as kindly to him as the younger one did.

 

“Come on Fee, aren’t you worried about uncle Thorin?”

“Well of course I am Kee. But you heard Dwalin, he’s got stuff to do up in the great halls.”

“Yeah, probably dragon stuff. Why won’t he let us see it?” Fili raised a brow at his younger sibling, not able to honestly believe he would honestly ask that.

“Kee, I think you know why uncle Thorin won’t let us see the dragon. He might see us as tasty little treats and eat us up!” The youngest dwarf couldn’t help smirking at his older brother’s teasing. Trying to quickly follow it up with his usual pouting face to garner sympathy, but it never fully worked on his older brother, who instead tackled him. The two brothers horsing around on the bed as they often did, the two kicking and pushing at each other, trying to gain the upper hand. For although Fili was much stronger than his younger brother, Kili was much more dexterous and nimble than the blond brother.

But this time Fili was able to get the upper hand and pin his younger brother down. “Looks like you’re dragon food now.” Kili grumbled as his older brother got the upper hand, furiously trying to maneuver away but Fili had him down tight, purposefully leaning forward so his long golden mane hung in his brother’s face. “Or would my little brother rather be food for something else?” The older brother smirked, the youngest dwarf wearing his usually confused expression.

“What in Middle Earth are you talking about Fee?” The younger dwarf continuing to squirm and try to kick at his older brother. Kili’s face still twisted in confusion at his older brother.

“The man Kili, I saw how he looked at you.” Fili’s smirk widened as Kili’s expression when from shocked realization to full blown embarrassment, closing his eyes tightly as he tried to hide from his older brother. “Ha-ha! I knew it. Kili’s got a crush.” Fili couldn’t help using his teasing voice he’s used on Kili since they were tiny little dwarves

“I-I do not!” Kili tried to sound as indignant as possible but failed miserably as his voice cracked in the middle of his denial. The younger dwarf blushing furiously.

“You too would make quite a pair now wouldn’t you? Though it’d make kissing rather difficult.” Fili chuckled as he made loud kissing noises, slowly losing his grip on his younger brother allowing him to push him off.

Once free Kili took the opportunity to pin down his older brother, snaking his legs under his and pinning him down as he tried to tease back. “Oh like you and Miss Rustaam don’t do that all the time!” Kili smirked down at his older brother, making kissing noises right back at him, the room filled with the two brothers making obscene kissing noises at each other, each pushing and shoving at the other. “Ooooh Fili loves big tall girls huh?” Kili returning Fili’s teasing with his own little brother voice to counter Fili’s/

“I bet Kili wants his new M’an to come in and sweep him off his feet!” The two play-growled as they wrestled and pushed and shoved at each other, each trying to get the upper hand. Both eventually resorting to grabbing ahold of the other’s hair. A practice generally seemed as taboo in combat among dwarves, but quite common between siblings.

While the two young dwarves were fighting and shoving each other, Bard took the opportunity to move into the window pane and perch there, idly watching the two dwarves wrestle with each other. It took the dwarves a few moments of loudly wrestling with each other before Bard’s movement caught in the corner of his eye, both dwarves freeing in their place before jumping up, ready to attack their intruder.  Bard wanted to chuckle at how completely opposite the two dwarves expressions were. Kili’s handsome face looked surprised and embarrassed, while Fili’s was one of almost expectancy combined with quite the annoyed look blended in as well at the bowman’s entrance.

“B-bard! What are you doing here!” The youngest dwarf both excited and embarrassed as he spoke to the bowman, very happy to see him again.

Fili’s look was much more skeptical as he looked at the bowman with disapproval. “Yeah Bard, what are you doing here? Is it customary for men to break into other’s houses unannounced?”

Bard smiled as he looked over the two dwarves. “I do apologize for my unorthodox entrance. I didn’t mean to offend anyone, but dealing with guards and protocol has never been my strongest skill.” He couldn’t miss the glance the two dwarves shot each other. “And I had a feeling you two were of a similar persuasion.” Bard continued to give his small yet compassionate smile watching the two dwarves exchange conflicting looks.

As Fili shared glances with his younger brother he noticed that telltale look in his eyes begin to develop when he was developing some horribly ill-conceived idea. And when it involved bringing pets home or trying to flirt, Fili knew he needed to nip it in the bud before Kili managed to really get going. Without wasting another moment Fili marched right up to Bard as he crouched on the window sill the two almost eye to eye in this position. Giving Bard one of the long hard stares he’d learned to do from watching his older uncle, he glared at the bowman, trying to will him to go away, and not encourage his younger brother’s antics.

But before Fili could say anything menacing to the man Dwalin’s loud voice rang out through the hallway to the royal bedchambers. There was an obvious commotion in the hallways, the sound of guards tramping through the halls, obviously scrambling for some important ruckus. “Come on boys, the intruder’s gotta be here somewhere!” Kili and Fili’s eyes bother went wide when they heard Dwalin’s voice again. Both looked at each other before looking at Bard. The man’s expression a mixture of amusement and slight embarrassment.

“It seems my stealth leaves a little to be desired.” He smirked at Kili’s upset and bewildered expression.

“Fee! We have to hide him!” Fili’s head cocked to the side as he tried to comprehend exactly what it was his brother had just said.

“What? Kee? What? We can’t hide him, are you mad?”

“But Fee!”

“Kee you barely know this man! Do you know how mad our family would be?” The footsteps of Dwalin and the guard drew closer, clearly searching rooms as they went.

“Fee please!” Fili grumbled as Kili gave him those sweet puppy eyes he always did when he really truly wanted something from his older brother. Fili tried to growl as Thorin often did when confronted with an enemy, but it quickly died off as he backed down to his younger brother’s pleading. He rolled his eyes as he backed up.

“Oh fine Kili. Come on, he’s hiding your YOUR bed though.” Kili beamed in excitement, instinctively holding out his hand for Bard to help him down from the window ledge and towards his bed. Bard smiled at Kili’s eagerness, getting excited for a moment as he was pulled to towards the bed before getting suddenly pulled downwards. The footsteps got even louder as Bard clambered under the bed, pulling his over coat tightly around himself as he hid under the bed, getting in position just as the bedroom door swung open. The light from the hallway pouring into the room. Bard wondered from his position what the two dwarves were doing, his question quickly answered as the large dwarf spoke.

“Kili, Fili, what’re yah still doing sleeping? There’s an intruder in the palace!” Bard tried hard not to let out an exasperated tone as Kili clearly jumped out of the bed, the force jarring the wooden bed above him.

“Master Dwalin!”

“What’s going on?” Bard figured the two dwarves must have been pretending to sleep when the large dwarf entered their room.

“Yah gone soft lads? Can’t yah hear? There’s an intruder that’s been spotted around the castle. Now outta yah beds, we’re searching all the rooms.”

Kili and Fili shot each other concerned looks before doing as they were told, knowing it would be foolish to try and argue with the head of the royal guard. From his position Bard could see Kili’s sturdy feet as she stood just to the side of his bed. The two brothers watched nervously as Dwalin and two of the guards searched through the bedroom, looking through the closest, out the window, and finally under the beds. Bard’s heart starting to race as he spied the dwarven boots pointed directly under the bed.

Kili watched the guards nervously as Fili spoke. “What did this intruder look like Master Dwalin? Is it an enemy spy?”

“Don’t know laddie, all we know is that it’s probably a man. He was seen skulking around the roof of the palace. We’ll find him laddie, don’t worry about it.” Kili’s eyes grew wider as one of the guards knelt down next to his bed, looking under it for a few seconds before leaving the room with his fellow guard.

“The room’s clear sir.” Dwalin smiled, clapping the two young dwarves on the shoulder.

“Well, looks like you’re good to sleep again laddies.” The large guard shut the big door behind him as the guards moved down the hall to continue their search.

Both brothers’ eyes went wide as they stared at each other before scrambling to the floor to look under Kili’s bed. They both chuckled when they tilted their gaze upward to see Bard pinned to the underside of the bed, holding himself up off the floor. “Well…maybe my stealth isn’t as bad as I thought.” He smiled before letting himself down and crawling out from under the bed. He smirked at the two dwarves as Kili sat back down on his bed while his bother stood with his arms crossed, glaring at the man in the room, his brow raised.

Kili smiled, extremely proud of himself, actually bouncing a little on the bed he was so happy with the situation. “Alright Kee, you got your way.” Fili grumbled ‘again’ to himself before continuing. “Now he’s got to go!” The blonde dwarf pointed towards the open window.

Kili’s expression dropped and he began to pout at his older brother. “But Fee! We can’t let him leave now! The guard will surely catch him then!” Kili gave Bard a sweet smile before looking at his feet then back at his brother.

Fili rolled his eyes dramatically. “And where do you propose he sleep Kee?” Fili raised a brow, seriously hoping that Kili wasn’t going to give the answer he thought he was gonna give.

Kili beamed, instantly thinking of an appropriate response, feeling very proud of himself. “We have extra bedrolls in the closet! And pillows too! Bard can sleep on the floor next to my bed.” Kili smiled proudly as he looked over at Bard.

The tall bowman smiling back and shrugging. “Whatever the dwarf princes command.” Kili smiled big as he scurried to the closet to grab one of the spare bed rolls and several pillows, blushing softly as he handed them to Bard. Bard never let his smile drop as he laid out the bed roll and started removing all but his under clothes and tunic for sleeping in.

Fili rolled his eyes as he went back to his own bed, determined to ignore his brother’s persistent immaturity and naivety. At least if Kili was going to be his silly younger brother at least he could supervise him and keep him from getting into ‘too’ much trouble.

Kili blushed, smiling sweetly as Bard undressed, trying not to stare at him as he did. The young dwarf electing to lie down in his own bed and stare at the bed, too embarrassed to say anything more to Bard before they go to bed. The bowman smiling as he watched the young dwarf climb back into bed and lay down before he did the same. This wasn’t exactly how he had pictured his evening going. The bowman realizing that getting some alone time with the dwarf prince was going to be much more difficult than he imagined.

 

 

Thorin slept much better than he anticipated sleeping next to such a horrible beast. Although it wasn’t his usual position Thorin spent the night sleeping on his back. He figured it was the best way to be prepared and leap out of bed should the situation arise. Although it was probably for the best, the night was surprising uneventful the beast never moved throughout the course of the night. The beast completely still, the only indication that the beast was even alive was the slow warm breathes that washed over the dwarf prince. Not one to show any indication of discomfort, Thorin having to kick off his thick socks as the warmth from the dragon made his uncomfortably warm. When he awoke in the morning he was still uncomfortably warm but fortunately not drenched in sweat. The proud prince sitting up in the bed, surprised not to be greeted by the sight of the dragon’s huge eye. For all appearances the dragon seemed to be continuing to sleep despite Thorin now being awake and moving.

Seizing the opportunity to fully observe the dragon without him staring intently at him, Thorin sat on the edge of the bed casually looking over the whole beast’s head. Fully taking in how enormous the beast is, and to be honest, how incredible the beast was, his scales looking like wonderfully crafted plate armor, polished to perfection and mounted by a skilled craftsman. The way they caught the light captured and held Thorin’s attention. The dwarf prince wanting to reach out and touch them, but held his hand back, not wanting to give the dragon the satisfaction of knowing he was interesting to the dwarf prince.

After a few minutes Thorin rolled his eyes and lay back on the bed, idly staring at the beast’s large body, unable to resist admiring his massive wings, wondering exactly how he was able to fly with them, especially with the dragon being so immensely huge, these wings were like nothing he’d ever seen before. To his credit though he’d only ever seen bird wings, never being exposed to reptilian wings before. Other than the slow and subtle rise of the dragon’s chest as he slowly inhaled and exhaled there were no other movements from the large beast, it making it difficult for Thorin to determine if the beast was truly sleeping or not. It made Thorin even more uneasy around the beast, for unlike all the mammals he was used to dealing with, horrible beasts and livestock alike, they all had very similar characteristics and behaviors; but this beast was nothing like those. Thorin knew from studies as a young dwarf that reptiles’ bodies were whatever temperature the outside air was and couldn’t move very well in the cold. But this dragon seemed to radiate heat like a dwarven forge, for a moment the dwarf wondering if there was a permanent fire raging inside the dragon.

The dragon’s low chuckle and the vibration in the treasure and hall came as no surprise to the dwarven prince. The dragon pretending to sleep coming as no surprise to him anymore. In fact Thorin wondered if the dragon ever actually slept, or perpetually pretended to around him. “I’m quite an impressive sight to look at aren’t I?” Thorin simply rolled his eyes as he sat up in the bed again, waiting for the dragon to acknowledge him. The huge eyelids opened as the clear lid slid across his eye, the strange sight always reminding Thorin of a large scaly cat.

“Indeed, even if you’re the only thing to look at, at the moment.” Thorin raising an eyebrow at the dragon as he sat on the edge of the bed, slowly putting his armor back on and slipping on his boots. Casually keeping the dragon in the corner of his eye as he got dressed, standing next to the bed as he buckled his large belt and staring at the dragon’s large eye, the constant scrutiny a little unsettling. But Thorin’s expression never betrayed his slight discomfort that always accompanied being so close to the massive beast’s head.

Thorin wondered how long it would take the dragon to finally move his head. Not wanting to consider the idea of climbing over the huge dragon. Smaug smirked as he continued to just lay there with his head in the treasure, his body and neck forming a complete circle around the dwarf prince, keeping him from in any way getting out of the treasure hall without climbing over him. Smaug idly wondering if the dwarf prince would actually do it. Taking his time to mull it over, loving how uncomfortable the dwarf prince became as Smaug just sat there, always loving to leave the little dwarf in an uncomfortable situation. After what were a few long uncomfortable minutes, Smaug finally relented, slowly raising his head out of the gold, Thorin unable to help noticing that Smaug already had several large gems seemingly stuck in his under belly and chest, the precious stones catching the light just like his scales did.

Thorin gave the large beast a respectful nod. The dwarf prince not exactly sure how one thanked a dragon without appearing too submissive.  The nod seemed to please the beast, who smirked as he usually did when he got his way, it taking every ounce of resolve Thorin had not to roll his eyes at the infuriating beast. Trying to walk past him as quickly as possible without it looking like he was running away from the beast. “Enjoy the sunshine little dwarf. I look forward to my next meal, sooner than later.” The dragon smirked and snorted a puff of hot air against Thorin’s back the dwarf continuing to walk towards the small entrance to the treasure hall, idly acknowledging the beast as he made his way out. The thought always in the back of his mind that he would do just the wrong thing to make the dragon upset and feel a flash of heat against his back before he was incinerated. But thankfully that didn’t seem to be in today’s itinerary. So without a look back he made his way up the stairs and out of the treasure hall, glad to be out of the horrible beast’s presence.

It didn’t surprise the dwarf prince at all that his faithful guard and companion was waiting for him by the entrance of the treasure hall, the burly dwarf’s face carrying his rare face of genuine concern. One usually reserved for members of the royal family. It was especially rare for the burly warrior to be so concerned about his prince. All of the confrontations that the prince had had to deal with, Thorin had been more than able to deal with. But Dwalin was truly worried that this colossal beast was going to be more than Thorin could handle. They may be able to deal with this problem in the short run, but had no idea how they were going to handle it in the future. But as much as doubt weighed on his mind his overwhelming trust and faith in his future king outweighed it.

“So what is the plan for today?”  Dwalin questioned his prince as they quickly made their way out of the treasure hall and out of Erebor. Dwalin noting how Thorin always exited the halls much faster than he entered. Thorin walked determinedly towards the still smashed hall of Erebor, trying to keep his breath steady as they exited.

“We need to collect some more food for the beast. You need to procure three cattle and a hog to satisfy the beast again. After that we need to get the infrastructure of Erebor running again.” The prince of Erebor sighed deeply as he stopped just outside of the great door of Erebor, standing to face his most trusted companion. “As much as it pains me to admit it Dwalin, we are going to have to rebuild our great city with that beast sleeping in our treasure halls.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “For now. So in order to keep it down there and avoid any complications we need to start with the cattle and hog herd, and the mines.”

“The mines? Is that appropriate Thorin? Yer father won’t let anyone near the mountain much less the mines.”

“We don’t have a choice Dwalin. Along with the food the dragon is demanding more gold. If the legends of dragon’s treasure lust are to be believed I doubt we have very long to delay in trying to fulfill it. I promised the beast more gold along with the food.” The prince sighed deeply as he spoke to his guard, not wanting to admit how much he had had to promise the dragon to keep it satisfied. He wished that he really had the easy control over the dragon as everyone thought he did.

Thorin just looked off the distance towards the temporary palace near Dale, not wanting to admit that the truth about how he was attempting to the control the dragon. He knew even attempting to call it control was laughable. Dwalin knew from years of experience what that averse look meant coming from his prince. Dwarves took great pride in themselves and their decisions, and to have to admit defeat in any capacity was usually seen as a great weakness. And for a member of the royal family it was most devastating. It pained Dwalin to see Thorin have to deal with that pain and shame alone, and he was determined to correct that. “I’ll see to it that we figure out a way to get dwarves back into the mountain.”

Dwalin knew that if anyone else were to make this decision, Dwalin would think them mad for endangering the lives of so many dwarves by returning to the mountain with the beast sleeping inside there. For surely it would be suicide, literally walking the dragon’s next meal in for him. But it wasn’t just anyone, it was his prince Thorin, and he trusted him above all others.

Thorin wanted to give his faithful companion a small smile of appreciation, but he could find no joy in this situation to warrant such an expression. Instead he gave his companion a respectful nod before they both headed down to the pastures again to procure a meal for the slumbering beast.

After the small dwarf prince left Smaug lay his head back down in the gold as he always did, his neck still curled around the large bed, the dragon happily content to lay in his new pile of treasure. The large beast shimmied his body, causing himself to slowly sink into the gold until he was completely covered in the precious metals and gems, only his nostrils barely exposed to allow him to breathe comfortably as he slowly drifted back to sleep, still very much aware of what was going on around him.

 

Thorin figured it was best to get the food for the beast as quickly as possible, to satisfy the beast so they could begin work elsewhere. Thorin really disdained having the dragon call to him in a way that terrified the men and dwarves of the Lonely Mountain. Thorin still had no idea what Dwalin had told his family on why he had not returned to the palace to sleep, the dwarf prince figuring he would find out what their reaction was when he returned this morning, hoping he could use it for his advantage.

Thorin allowed himself to be escorted to the temporary palace of the dwarves before giving his guard his instructions. “I need you to gather the animals for the dragon today, bring them back up here and I will help you escort them in to please the beast. I need to speak to my father, convince him to let at least the miners back into Erebor.” Dwalin laid his heavy hand on Thorin’s shoulder, giving him a reassuring rub, not needing to exchange words to comfort his lifelong friend before heading off towards the town of Dale as the prince entered the palace in search of his father.

Thorin did not get very far into the palace before running into his younger sister not surprised that she had a scolding ready for him, preceded by a strong hug. His little sister short enough for him to rest his chin against the top of her head as she hugged him. “Thorin where on earth have you been? Dwalin would only tell me that you needed to sleep outside the palace last night. Where in Middle Earth were you?” Once her arms were no longer around her brother they were resting against her hips. It took all of Thorin’s control not to chuckle at his sister, her over motherly behavior always lightening Thorin’s spirits.

“I had to sleep in Erebor last night Dis, it was nothing to be worried about.” His sister raised a skeptical brow. Thorin elected to not mention the small detail that he had literally slept with the dragon in the treasure halls of Erebor, not wanting to even imagine Dis’ reaction to that news. “I assure you Dis, the halls of Erebor are no more dangerous than out here in Dale”

“Somehow I don’t find that very reassuring.” She sighed as she continued to give her brother a skeptical look. “So what do you need to see father about?”

Thorin took his sister’s hand, giving it a soft reassuring squeeze. “I need to ask him to allow the miners to return to Erebor.” He held up his and his sister’s hand when she tried to protest. “It is both necessary and safe I assure you.” Thorin didn’t feel too badly about partially lying to his sister when the necessary part was true. His sister sighed deeply before leading her brother back towards where their father was this morning.

“I think he’s in a good mood this morning, so you might have some luck getting your request.” She smirked as she followed him inside to one of the small side dining halls for the royal family.

“Ah there you are Thorin.” Thorin entered the hall with his sister as they took their places at the table. The smile across his face indicated that his father was indeed in a good mood this morning. Thorin wasn’t sure if that would make his request easier or harder to achieve. Thorin helped himself to a small breakfast, not having much of an appetite. The dwarf prince noticing that his father’s usually loud boisterous conversations ranged from everything specifically except the dragon. The prince kept to himself for all of the short breakfast, trying to figure out the best way to phrase his request. Although a dining hall contained all of the royal family, it also contained a few of the council members as well.

“So how are our people Karisusa, how are they adjusting?”

“They are good my king. But they are eager to get back to work. Dwarves are not idle folk.”

“Can we not find work for most of them?”

“Many have taken on small tasks and jobs in Dale, but it is only temporary my king.”

 “Father, may I suggest a possible solution?” The hall went completely silent when Thorin spoke, Thrain giving his son a surprised but not condescending look.

“Yes Thorin…what would you suggest?”

Thorin cleared his throat, not appreciating that the hall was quiet and everyone’s attention turned towards him. Though his expression did not betray those feelings as he spoke calmly and collectedly. “I know this will not be a very popular opinion or idea, but to be honest…the situation with the dragon, which we are all aware of…is under control.” The silence was broken with a few scattered murmurs through the dining hall before Thorin continued. “And for normalcy to return to the dwarves of Erebor…we will need to return to Erebor. Continue our work at least.

Thrain didn’t respond, just sighing softly before taking a slow drink from his cup. “Thorin…I don’t think that would be a wise decision. Not to mention I don’t suspect there would be many volunteers.” Thorin kept his voice as calm and even as he could, his father’s constant disapproval beginning to wear on him.

“I think you underestimate the bravery of the dwarves. The halls of Erebor are just as safe as the town of Dale. And I am sure they are eager to return to work.” Thrain took another slow drink from his cup before responding.

“Well son, I think that if you can collect some volunteers who’d be willing to return to the mountain, than you may carry out your plan.” Thrain returned to his drink before continuing with his breakfast as if the conversation hadn’t even happened. Thorin was infuriated by his father’s passive aggressiveness, but he knew the only outcome of starting a confrontation with him was a reversal of his mediocre agreement to Thorin’s suggestion. The quiet murmur began to awkwardly return to the dining hall after Thrain had spoken. Thorin figured it would be too obviously rude to immediately leave the dining hall, waiting for a while to make his exit.

It did not catch the dwarf prince’s attention that the members of the dwarven castle grew concerned at his request, quietly murmuring to each other so the royal family could not hear them; their conversation intense but quiet as they conversed amongst themselves.

Thankfully Thorin didn’t have to wait long for his opportunity, his faithful guard coming into the dining hall to approach him with news. He knelt down next to Thorin as he spoke quietly. “The food for the beast is ready whenever you’d like to escort it in.” Thorin nodded, quickly seeing Dwalin out, thankful to leave the dining hall. Not even pausing to ask for permission to leave, for now most of the dining hall was engrossed in their own conversations again, ignoring Thorin’s exit.

“Now Dis…where are my grandsons?...”

 

“So same as usual? We just haul these things in there and the beast does the rest?”

“Yes. But I will be doing the feeding alone. Dwalin…I need you to see how many of the miners you can convince or get to return to the mines.” Dwalin nodded as he helped Thorin move the large load of cattle and hog to Erebor, the motions seeming almost second nature. Dwalin gave another curt nod before leaving to complete his task, Thorin dragging the slaughtered animals the rest of the way down into the treasure hall. The noise easily catching the attention of the dragon who rose completely out of the gold to retrieve his meal.

“Mmm what a nice surprise, now how did you know I was such a fan of pork?” The dragon smirked as he grabbed the hog first, throwing it ungracefully into the air and catching it in his mouth, consuming it in one large gulp. He chewed and swallowed it whole, licking his teeth before moving onto the cattle, having to tear them in half before consuming them, Thorin idly watching as he waited for the dragon to finish.

Licking his scaly digits as he always did, he lowered his head to waif his hot breath over the dwarf prince as he spoke. “That was quite satisfactory. Your creativity is most appealing. I hadn’t thought you capable of such higher thinking” He winked as he pulled his head back to return to sleeping in his treasure pile.

Thorin was turning it over in his head exactly how to ask a direct question and request to a dragon. “Smaug?” The dragon turned his head back around, his expression a mixture of annoyance and intrigue, his head tilted to the side questioningly. “In order to keep the treasure in this hall growing the dwarves will have to return to the mines of Erebor. So will it be acceptable if the dwarves come and go from Erebor to work the mines? Nothing from this treasure hall will be touched.” Smaug lifted one of his thin ridged brows as he was clearly thought it over.

“Yes, I will allow that.” He smirked before returning down into the gold without giving the dwarf a second glance. Thorin took in a deep breath as he always did at the dragon’s impertinence before leaving the treasure hall to find Dwalin, hoping the recruitment would go smoother than Thorin anticipated it would.

Coming out of the great entrance to Erebor, Thorin was not surprised to spy his brother perched in a nearby tree, clearly waiting for his egress.  The older brother continuing to walk as he let his younger sibling catch up with him. Frerin hopping down from his perch to join his brother’s stride. “I saw Dwalin leaving without you and I got concerned. Do you need my help with anything?” Thorin continued to walk alongside his brother as he replied.

“I needed Dwalin to begin recruiting miners to return to the mines of Erebor. The increase in the wealth of the dwarves must always continue to grow.” Frerin raised his brow before moving quickly to stand in front of his brother, halting his progress.

“Brother, is that really a priority at the moment? I feel there are more important matters at hand.” Thorin continued his stride, simply walking around his younger sibling with determination.

“The situation is more complicated than you realize Frerin. My decisions are already under great scrutiny by most of Erebor, I don’t need your skepticism as well.” The older son of Thrain continuing on determinedly, having neither the time nor the patience for his brother’s questioning. The younger son quickly caught up to his brother, hating when his brother brushed him off.

“Thorin, I’m not trying to question your decisions, but how can I reasonably help you if you continue to fail to give me any information!” Thorin drew in a large breath as he continued on, trying not to growl in frustration.

“It is not your place to know everything Frerin. This is something I need to deal with-”

“If you aren’t telling me something out of some misplaced sense of pride-”

“Frerin!” At that Thorin finally stopped to address his younger brother. “I am your older brother and future king. And I will be the judge of what information I will divulge.” Thorin recognized that indignant but slightly hurt look Frerin was giving him. It did pain him to have to speak to his younger brother in such a way, but he still wasn’t willing to admit the deal he’d had to make to the dragon and his real motives for getting the miners back into the mountain, possibly endangering them further.

The younger brother almost glared at his older brother trying his best to read him in their moment of silence. “Frerin, I do need your help in convincing the miners to return to the mountain and continue mining. Dwalin has already gone to start trying to recruit some volunteers.” Frerin raised a brow at his older brother.

“And yet you won’t tell me why?” Thorin looked up at his slightly taller brother who threw his hands up in defeat. “Fine Thorin I’ll help you, I may be your younger brother, but that doesn’t make me your lesser.” In his attempt to turn around and walk off indignantly, he tripped over a small rock, nearly losing his footing. Thorin let out a little snort as he rolled his eyes, casually following after his younger indignant brother as they continued their way back towards Dale. The young prince hoping his guard had been successful in finding volunteers for the mine, having great faith in his dwarven subjects, knowing there would be those dedicated enough to work no matter what the adversary. Thorin was depending on the tenacity of the dwarves to never shy away from a threat or expose themselves as cowards. He was hoping they would see the dragon as a challenge to overcome, and not something that would hold them back.


	7. Back into the Depths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dragon Smaug seems to be holding up his end of the bargain he made with the dwarf prince Thorin by allowing miners back into the mines of Erebor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Life seems to have gotten away from me and I was stuck on this chapter for an awful long time. But i'm back in the swing of things and my inspiration has returned from his hiatus! Bilbo will be coming soon, promises!!

 

Thorin walked along, his heavy boots leaving slight impressions in the dirt from his heavy steps as he made the trek back towards Dale, his younger brother following close behind him. Frerin still disgruntled at his older brother’s overly stubborn nature, so common a trait among dwarves. The pair walking in silence, only the sounds of their boots and the occasional stirring of their weapons and cloaks following them as they walked, Frerin staying one pace behind his older brother and future king out of respect. Thorin only focusing on joining his chief of the guard to collect miners to return to the mountain. The silence between the siblings was palpable until they reached the city of Dale, heading to the camps on the outskirts of the city where most of the citizens of Erebor had taken refuge.

The city of Dale could not accommodate so many refugees of the great hall of the dwarves and most had taken up refuge in large camps outside the city. And although the dwarves were grateful for a dragon free place to live, they were clearly beginning to grow restless in their makeshift homes and lack of a stable source of work.

As the pair reached the edge of the dwarven encampment stray dwarves bowed respectfully to the dwarven princes as they passed, Thorin walking past them with much more on his mind, distracting him from returning their respect. As the young prince looked for his most trusted guard he took a moment to finally speak to his brother again. “Frerin, I feel it is fair to disclose the real reason I have requested miners to the mountains again. I will need your help in recruiting miner to our great halls and feel compelled to be honest with you, as you are my trusted brother.” The older sibling put his gloved hand on his slightly taller younger brother’s shoulder. “As I have told father, I have requested the return of the miners to the mines to increase our wealth and to show that things have indeed returned to normal. When the reality is,” Thorin paused as he took a small breath before continuing. “The situation is not as in control as it appears to be. The miners need to return to show the people and any who doubt the security of the dwarves that we are indeed in control. And if our hoards of treasure are not continually brought to the surface and to our people, we will no longer receive respect or tribute from our allies. That is why the dwarven miners must return. Without the respect of our allies the perceived strength of the dwarves will fade in their eyes. And that is unacceptable.”

Frerin stood silent for a few moments as he considered what his brother said, seeing why he had not mentioned his true intentions before. Placing his own gloved hand on his brother’s shoulder, their arms intertwining as he smiled and nodded. “Alright Thorin, all is forgiven, let’s get to work.” Frerin was glad that his brother trusted him with his true intentions, seeing the weight in his brother’s eyes and what a toll the stress of the situation was taking on him.

Thorin nodded, grateful that he could convince his brother to help, turning quickly to continue looking for his faithful guard to hide any hurt his eyes would betray. For although he had not lied to his brother, he was still hiding his true intentions from him. For he knew that any treasure the dwarven miners brought up the dragon would never allow to leave his claimed halls. And he was purposefully risking the lives of the miners in the hopes of making the dragon complacent and preventing further harm to his people. And as much as Thorin loved and trusted his younger brother, his pride was unable to divulge even that much to him. Not willing to admit how little control he actually had. Fearing the situation was too delicate and his relationship with the great wyrm too tentative to be completely open about the agreements made.

As the pair made their way through the encampment Frerin broke off from his older brother’s path as he went off in search of dwarves he knew to help begin his search for volunteers. Thorin not paying close attention as he sought out his chief of the guard, wanting to know what progress he had made before going off in search of volunteers himself. For although Thorin had no problem wandering amongst his people, the work of collecting volunteers was not seen as the work of royalty. At least not initially until a rallying speech was needed to bring them all together and inspire them.

But it was Dwalin who found the young dwarven prince first, calling out to his prince, a small band of dwarves following behind him. “My liege, I have collected the heads of some of the largest mining families to enlist their help in recruiting volunteers.” Dwalin wanted to comment on how the families were intrigued to help their prince but were still wary to the idea, but such a notation of possible cowardice would seem incredibly insulting, especially coming from someone from one of the military families. Dwalin was confident that Thorin would quickly pick up on their hesitation on his own. Giving a respectful bow to the heads of the mining families before taking his place at his prince’s side.

Thorin gave the heads of what he could tell were three separate families a curt bow, the miners returning a slightly deeper bow to their prince. The three families clearly distinct by the braiding style of their hair and colors of their robes and armor, the eldest of one of the families approaching Thorin first. The eldest dwarf had a large white mane, his braids clipped with the finest silver encrusted with brilliant jewels and gems. “Dwalin tells us that you’re requesting volunteers for miners in the halls of Erebor. Forgive our initial reluctance but I’m sure you can understand our hesitance to return to the mountains Thorin. Unless the situation has changed dramatically in such a short time you can understand our qualms.” The eldest dwarf giving Thorin a calm patient look as he waited for a response. The young prince looking at all the dwarves waiting for a response before speaking, wanting to carefully formulate his response. For he knew that everything he did was always under intense scrutiny, compounded by his the current situation and the fact that he was so young of a prince, put into such an extreme position of leadership on such an explosive situation.

Thorin carefully chose his words, for it was also difficult speaking as both a superior and a significantly younger dwarf; needing to be both commanding yet respectful to the elders of the houses of dwarves. “I understand your reluctance, and I deeply respect your concern for your family’s safety.” Thorin paused for a moment, letting his sympathy sink in before continuing. “But I assure you that the great mining halls of Erebor are safe, and the creature you all fear in Erebor’s halls is no threat to any miner that choses to work in our great halls.” The elder dwarves raised their brows, none of them wanting to question their prince, but finding it incredibly difficult to completely accept his proposal. Thorin could immediately sense the skepticism his statement created. A soft murmur running through the young dwarves. The elders still respectfully quiet when conversing with their prince. Thoring gave them a moment to chatter amongst themselves, spying his younger brother coming through the large gathering of dwarves with another family, right alongside Dwalin who had found yet another family. But as Thorin could tell, the family that Dwalin had brought was not like the other families. It was clearly one the military families, for they were not as decorated in the fine gems and metals the miner families extracted from the mountains.

The families chatted amongst themselves, before the eldest of the families turned to address their prince once again. “We will oblige your request for us to continue working in the mountains. However we will not force any of our miners to work. We will require a survey team to explore it first before we send in more.” The elders nodding in agreement as they waited for Thorin’s response. Thorin placed him hand over his heart, giving the elders a curt nod as he responding.

“Your requests are absolutely reasonable. I will help escort any scouts you chose to send into the mountain; to assure you that it is indeed as safe as I say.” The eldest of the dwarves smirked as he noticed the fourth family of miner dwarves approaching with the youngest son of Thrain.

“I think our cousins from the Blue Mountains would love the honor of being the first back into Erebor.” The eldest dwarf smirking at the eldest of the dwarves from the Blue Mountain. The dwarves of Ered Luin shooting glares back at their cousins native to the misty mountains. The eldest dwarf caught in a tight spot, for it would be considered cowardly to back down from a challenge or a responsibility. But at the same time, the eldest of the dwarves knew that the miner families of the iron hills were not on the best of terms with their cousins from across the land and they definitely had something to prove. For dwarves have always been a distrusting race, even towards distant cousins of their own kind. But this particular task was going to be more dangerous than anything the dwarves had encountered before.

Thorin turned to look at the blue mountain miners accompanying Frerin, looking to them for a response, noticing the slight menacing glances shared between the dwarves. The eldest straightening himself up proudly before speaking. “The dwarves formerly of the Blue Mountains are proud to be the first to return to Erebor to regain the treasure lost to the dragon. For we are not a family composed of cowards, and proudly rise to this occasion Prince Thorin.” He smirked as the family glared back at the other families who scowled at them in return. “Prince Thorin, you may take two of my grandsons, Bifur and Bofur. They will accompany you into the mountains and survey the safety and integrity of our mines.” The two younger dwarves were pushed to the front of the crowd, the elder a more grizzled looking miner with a black and white braided bread, the younger sporting a large trooper fur hat as he followed just behind his older cousin. The eldest nodded to his prince, letting out a grunt and a short acknowledgment in Khazad as the younger quickly nodded in unison.

Thorin gave all the families another respectful bow to the families. “Thank you all for your unweilding faith. As further assurance of  our safety, I will bring several of the royal guard to escort us into the mines so all the families can see for themselves how safe our halls are.” The other families nodded in agreement as they watched the youngest of the Blue Mountain dwarves follow their prince back towards the halls of Erebor. Dwalin leading a small company of other guards after the prince and the two miners. The large group that had gathered around the prince and the elders was lagging slowly behind the small group trekking back towards the mountain, wanting to keep a safe distance behind them as they returned to the mountain.

Thorin walked in silence as his brother and his chief guard walked by his sides, leading the miners and two of the guards towards the still severely damaged gate bearing a dragon sized hole in the front. Once they reached the massive hole in the entrance Thorin turned to face the small party of dwarves following him. Addressing the two young miners first. “If you have any hesitation on completing this mission, now would be the time to leave the party.” Thoring looked over the two miners and the two guards that accompanied them, giving them a moment to respond. The elder cousin straightened up immediately, followed by his younger kin. The younger dwarf speaking first.

“My name is Bofur prince Thorin, and this is my cousin Bifur. And would be a great dishonor to abandon our new prince on this mission. We will not fail you your heighness.” Thorin gave them a nod in response, looking over to the guards who only grunted in agreement, keeping their stoic appearance the guards were trained to keep.

“Good, then let’s not waste anytime.” Without hesitation Thorin turned back around and confidently walked into the shattered entrance of Erebor, Dwalin quickly following him inside the damaged entrance, no hesitation in his steps after having been through the gateway several times since the dragon’s arrival. The guards following Dwalin hesitated slightly before following their commanding officer in. The miner cousins also hesitating, giving each other a quick glance before following their prince inside  their senses immediately assaulted by the smell of the dragon inside, knowing all eyes outside were watching them, knowing that as dwarves from the Blue Mountains they had a lot to prove.

Thorin proudly walked through Erebor down towards the mines, bypassing the large treasure halls where the dragon resided, keeping his calm and collected demeanor intact. He prayed to Mahal as hard as he could that the dragon would hold up his end of the bargain and allow the miners back into the halls of the lonely mountain without any trouble. Thorin did not even want to consider what would happen if the dragon suddenly changed his mind.

The pair of guards carefully surveyed their surrounding as they escorted the prince and the miners into the halls of Erebor, not realizing they were more of a formality than a real protection. The two miners stayed close together as they wandered through the halls of Erebor, staying close to the pair of guards. The halls eerily deserted save for the ever hanging stench of the dragon wafting through the halls. It was a fairly long walk to the mines in the bowels of Erebor, the party walking in silence, only the sound of their footsteps echoing through the lonely halls. Once the party reached the opening of the famous mines the cousins quickly got to work attaching themselves to the slings and pulleys that would allow them to hoist themselves down to survey the mines and inspect whatever integrity was left. During the normal course mining activity, there would be hundreds of dwarves and properly designed infrastructure to safely maneuver miners down the epic mine shafts. But with so few dwarves available and the infrastructure of the mines severely compromised, the guards had to act as the counter weights to lower the Blue Mountain cousins down into the mine shafts. The ropes tied around their waists and secured to the most secure piece of infrastructure they could find, helping to lower the cousins down into the shafts of the mines that dug deep into the heart of the earth.

The two cousins slowly slid down the face of the mine entrance, their booted feet slipping on the loose rocks and crumbling scaffolding, bits of rock and wood, clattering before falling silently for a long time before an impossibly faint sound could be heard below once it had finally landed. The silence of the mines, enhancing the sheer depth of the mine shafts. The cousins sharing pained looks as their stomachs sunk every time one of them lost their footing. Being the older cousin, Bifur hung slightly below the younger dwarf, trying to find decent footholds so all their weight wasn’t pulling on the guards holding them up. But one of the long support poles that had held Bifur’s weight wasn’t strong enough for the second dwarf who’s rope went slack as he slipped and began to freefall, grabbing at the wall and scrambling for a grip. Bifur forced to let go of the wall in order to help support his cousin in his fall, able to only grab his thick gloved hand just in time. Bofur gasped as he held on tightly to his cousin’s grip, both hands holding on tightly as the two slowly slid down the rock face, the sudden force causing the guards to lose their footing and scramble to regain the tautness of the rope before they too were pulled down. Thorin and Dwalin quickly moving forward to help the guards hold the rope tightly to keep the miners from falling any further, their weight fully supported by the rope tied around the pair of guards.

Bofur’s strong grip helped him pull his younger cousin up onto a different perch, grunting and cursing loudly in Kudzul as he held him tightly to his chest, the dwarves above yelling down to the pair. “Yeh ladies alright down there?” The cousins having to take a moment to breath before responding.

“Aye, we’re alright, just had a bit of a slip.” The two breathed heavily as they surveyed their surroundings, looking for any scaffolding that would allow them to continue their surveying. Bifur finally spying one piece of infracture that wasn’t too badly comprimised another couple of yards below them. “We need yah to lowers us a little further down, then we’ll be on flat feet!” The guards nodded and got the rope behind them slack enough to lower the dwarves down. Bofur carefully and protectively taking Bifur’s hand as he helping lower his cousin down below him before lowering himself down. Grateful for his boots to finally hit something solid that wouldn’t immediately give out underneath him. Once they were down on the platform they pulled in a lot of the slack, tying off a part of it to a strong support beam so they could explore the catwalks and survey the damage to the mines.

Once the miners had their boots on solid infrastructure Thorin breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he would need is more dwarves to be killed in the once safe halls of Erebor. Thorin motioned for the guards to stay put and hold onto the miner’s life lines as the princes and their guard took a step back and catch the breath they were all holding. The miners were quickly able to start collected large gems they miners had spent weeks trying to pry out of the walls, their work terminated by the sudden arrival of the dragon. Bofur loaded several of the large gems into a bucket, sent back up to were the guards were waiting for it, surprised that the pulley and delivery systems were still mostly functional.

But the moment of peace and safety was quickly shattered as the halls began to shake with that all too familiar earthquake like feel. The whole earth shaking in synchronous beats, like the ground had developed its own violent- heartbeat. After the second shake of the ground Bofur grabbing his younger cousin, holding him against the walls of the mine, strong gloved hands holding onto what was left of the ropes and infrastructure of the mines, keeping the pair safe from the falling rocks and wood planks that became dislodged as the earth shook. Bits and pieces raining down and taking some of the platform with them, the pair of dwarves quickly losing ground to stand on, counting on the rope the guards had secured to the infrastructure and themselves to keep them suspended should all else fail and the ground below them eventually give way.

As the ground continued to violently shake the guards quickly became panicked, not only because it was clear that the dragon was awake and moving, but the ropes that were the miner’s only lifelines were securely tied around them as well, effectively restraining them in place. Despite being naturally sturdy on their feet the dwarves still had to steady themselves as the ground continued to quake; Dwalin reaching forward to help steady his princes, reaching out to hold them both every time the ground shook. The intensities of the shakes growing with each interval as it quickly became clear the dragon was coming closer and closer towards them. Moving up from the treasure hall and towards the bowels of the mountain where the mines lay.

“Princes, we can’t stay here! We need to move!” Dwalin yelled over the shaking earth, urging his princes to move, preferably run towards the exit and away from the approaching, figuring the dragon was not pleased with their entrance into the mines. Thorin grounded his feet and commanded back.

“We can’t, we can’t leave the miners here, I WILL take care of this.” Thorin pushed Dwalin’s hand on his chest towards his brother as he made his way forward, only able to take a few steps between each of the shakes, bracing himself against the walls during each interval. Thorin moved directly towards the source of the great shakes. Getting a significant distance from the rest of the party who were beginning to panic, Dwalin having to steady the guards as they tied to untie themselves. As soon as the violent shaking of the Earth began it suddenly stopped, a tense couple of moments passed where all way silent, the party intensely watching their prince as he stood at the entrance way to the mines. Another few moments passing before an unearthly sound filled the halls.

Thorin recognized the sound as Smaug’s obnoxious laughing, it taking a little longer for the other dwarves to realize what they were hearing was a beastly laugh echoing in the halls. “Soooo what do we have here? Brought me a live snack today...Thorin?” The sinister comment seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere as it echoed through the halls and down into the mines. It was followed by another chuckle as the dragon’s head slowly came into view in front of Thorin, the dragon having been perched off to the side of the entrance, only now making himself visible to the whole party. The guards trembled in their boots, Dwalin still trying to get them to keep their resolve. Frerin’s eyes wide as the dragon’s huge head hung in front of his older brother, his lithe fingers twitching against his bow as he stood and watched intently. The miner cousins down below and out of sight, holding the walls tightly, not moving a muscle as they just listened to the sounds that echoed down to them.

Thorin’s face scowled at the dragon’s comment, standing up straight and proud as he stared down the huge behemoth. “We are surveying the mines, as per OUR agreement Smaug. Your scheduled meal will still be brought at sunset.” Smaug smirked and chuckled again, seemingly ignoring the young prince as he casually stepped over him to survey the party that had accompanied the young prince, not surprised most of them were trembling in their boots, the scent of their fear filling his nostrils as he looked down at them before looking down into the mine shaft, spying two move dwarves down there holding onto the sides for dear life. He chuckled as he turned around to head back out, not caring that his huge tail smashed into the sides of the mines, sending rocks and pieces of wood flying, the dwarves having to duck for cover to avoid being collateral damage. “Hmmmm, seems you’re not a little liar after all little prince.” The great red dragon slipped back out through the entrance of the mines, the earth shaking with every step as he seemed to disappear back out the way he came.

The whole party, waiting on a held breath for Thorin to speak, the prince fuming at the dragon’s deliberate attempt to embarrass him. Thorin ran back down to the ledge leading down the the pair of miners, ignoring the terrified guards. “Have you completed your survey down their?” Thorin’s voice having no indication that anything significant had just happened, waiting for a reply so he could get the dwarves out of the halls.

“Uhh, aye, just about, we need to check one more scaffold.” The pair finished their survey impossibly quick before tugging on the rope, no longer wanting to be down in the mines after a terrifying visit from the dragon. Once they had reached the surface of the mines, all four dwarves shed their ropes and quickly made for the exit, the whole party making it’s way out. Only Thorin and Dwalin seeming to be unaffected by the dragon’s unexpected visit. The guards were the lightest on their feet, the most eager to get out, followed by the royal princes and Dwalin escorting the miners in the rear. One of their falls having given Bofur a temporary limp. The pace of the group was just below running, making a quick retreat. Thorin not afraid of the dragon, but not wanting another surprise visit.

No sooner had he thought those words when he heard the familiar grunt of Dwalin and a slight yelp from one of the miner cousins, turning around to find himself staring at the back of Smaug’s huge head. The dragon perched above them silently, having snaked his head down to bisect the group, glaring at the head of the guard and the two smaller dwarves behind him. Bifur holding his cousin tightly as Dwalin stood his ground. “What do yer want beast?!” Dwalin growled at the huge dragon, tired of his games and taunting. Smaug just looked him over before suddenly snarling, lips curling back to reveal rows of humongous razor sharp teeth, hot breath wafting over the guard.

Smaug’s voice shook with anger as he glared at the burly guard dwarf before him. “I should kill you all for this insult Thorin. Dismember your bodies and line the entrance way with the pieces.” Smaug growled and Dwalin stood frozen, having no idea what the dragon was referring to. Knowing at best he’d get one swing of his axe before the dragon incinerated him.

Thorin began to panic at the dragon’s change of demeanor, wracking his brain trying to figure out a solution before it suddenly occurred to him. Thorin quickly running around and standing in the small space between his guard and the dragon’s huge muzzle, holding his hands forward as he pleaded with the dragon. “We meant no insult Smaug, it was a simple mistake. Bifur, give me the contents of you and your cousin’s pockets.” The pair quickly obliged, dumping out the large gems from their pockets, the stones clattering on the floor before they scooped them up and pushed them into a pile in front of the Thorin. The young prince maintaining eye contact with the dragon the whole time. Once Smaug’s scowl slowly started to fade, Thorin motioned for Dwalin to get the rest of the dwarves out there, Dwalin seizing the opportunity and leading away the miners and dragging Frerin behind him. The guards already long gone. It tore at Dwalin to leave his prince behind in such peril, but knew there was nothing he could do when it came to Thorin dealing with the dragon.

Smaug slowly raised his head, still glaring down at the young prince, his huge winged paw raising up and smacking the small pile of gems, sending them clattering against the walls of the great halls. Many of them shattering upon impact, sending little sparkles of light and crystal shining across the halls before coming to rest. The halls eerily silent save for the heavy angry breathing of the great Dragon. Thorin tried to break the long pause. “Smaug you must understand-“

“SILENCE!” The great monster howled, the halls shaking with his angry might as he let his weight fall to the ground, his body twisting like a huge scaled cat as he landed on his clawed feet. The ground below him splintering as it took his full force, shattering the stone floor. Thorin’s footing weakened, forced to kneel in order to keep upright, barely finding time to right himself before the dragon snarled and began to walk forward, pushing Thorin backwards as he stormed towards him. “You think I’m a fool! You think the lives of you and your _kind_ mean anything to me? I would destroy each and every one of you hairy imps without so much as a second thought to recover one coin of what is rightfully mine! And I would start with YOU!” He growled as his nose shoved Thorin into a stone pillar, pinning him in place and knocking the wind out of him. His pupils narrowed into slits and all his fins pinned back and his scales ruffled like the fur of an enraged wolf. As the dwarf prince gasped for breath, only able to choke in hollow breaths, the dragon snarled and began lifting his head, dragging the dwarf up the face of the pillar. His huge nostrils flared and wafted fiery hot smoke, making it even harder for Thorin to catch his breath, especially not with the dragon pressing so hard on his chest.

Smaug continued to pant heavily, a low growl rippling up his throat before his breathing began to slow, the dragon slowly lowering his head before dropping the dwarf back down onto the ground, Thorin braced on all fours as he coughed and drew in heavy breathes, looking up at the dragon with a glare. That slow sly grin creeping up the dragon’s muzzle. “Even when you stare death and destruction in the eyes you do not waiver. I do not see the same fear in you that plagues your men. If it weren’t so incredibly imbecilic it might be impressive.” The dragon smirked as he stared back at the dwarf prince, still gasping for breath, never letting his gaze leave the dragon’s. Smaug slowly turned around, letting his huge tail collide with the pillar behind Thorin. The dwarf letting the small bits of debris bounce off his back as he glared at the dragon from behind.

“WHY?!” Thorin summoned his first real breath to yell at the dragon. The beast’s movement stopping but not turning around. Thorin breathed heavily again to yell at the dragon. “Why do you not kill me if I offend you so?!” Smaug smirked, a puff of smoke escaping his nostrils and he spoke away from the dwarf as he began to walk off again.

“Because I am Smaug and I do as I wish.” He huge steps shook the ground as he walked, Thorin groaning as he almost lost his balance again. The dragon finding this dwarf a most interesting source of amusement, for he both enraged and fascinated him.

Thorin groaned as the beast walked away from him, the dragon a never ending source of pain and frustration. Grabbing at his chest he made his way out of Erebor, knowing the dragon had broken several of his ribs. The prince groaning, unwilling to face the rest of the dwarves in such a condition.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! There is definitely more to come. OP’s input on how they want the story to progress is more than welcome! And comments make me very happy all around!


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